Contents [hide]

Creed History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand West Indies South Africa

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Sources

Creed History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Etymology of Creed

What does the name Creed mean?

The proud Creed family originated in Cornwall, a rugged coastal region in southwestern England. In early times, people were known by only a single name. However, as the population grew and people traveled further afield, it became increasingly necessary to assume an additional name to differentiate between bearers of the same personal name. The manner in which hereditary surnames arose is interesting. Local surnames are derived from where the original bearer lived, was born, or held land. The Creed family originally lived in the parish of Creed in the county of Cornwall. "Crede is manifestly a personal name in the Hundred Rolls in districts far removed from Cornwall. It occurs in every case without a prefix, in itself an argument in favour of a fontal origin. No doubt it means creed, i.e. belief, answering to faith, so familiar as a girl's name later on." 1

Early Origins of the Creed family

The surname Creed was first found in Cornwall at Creed, a parish, in the union of St. Austell, W. division of the hundred of Powder. There is another Creed in the East division of Sussex, but the former is where this family hails. 2 Originally known as Sancta Crida, the Cornish parish means "Church of St. Cride," from the patron saint of the church. 3

The Hundred (Hundredorum) Rolls of 1273 listed: Alan Crede, Suffolk; Mabilia Crede, Cambridgeshire; and Roger Crede, Huntingdonshire. 1 Henry Crede, vicar of Homing, Norfolk in 1381 4 and John Creyde was listed in Somerset, 1 Edward III (during the first year of King Edward III's reign.) 5

Early History of the Creed family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Creed research. Another 70 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1388, 1564, 1578, 1582, 1614, 1616, 1644, 1659, 1660, 1663, 1668, 1682, 1695, 1701, 1728, 1743, 1754, 1761, 1762, 1866, 1878 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Creed History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Creed Spelling Variations

Cornish surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The official court languages, which were Latin and French, were also influential on the spelling of a surname. Since the spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. Lastly, spelling variations often resulted from the linguistic differences between the people of Cornwall and the rest of England. The Cornish spoke a unique Brythonic Celtic language which was first recorded in written documents during the 10th century. However, they became increasingly Anglicized, and Cornish became extinct as a spoken language in 1777, although it has been revived by Cornish patriots in the modern era. The name has been spelled Creed, Creede, Crede, Cread, Creade, Creeds, Creedes, Credes, Creads and many more.

Early Notables of the Creed family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

Adam Creedy (fl. 1388), an English politician, Member of the Parliament for Exeter in 1388; and Sir James Creed (c. 1695-1762), an English merchant and politician, Member of Parliament for Canterbury...
Elizabeth Creed (1644?-1728), was an English philanthropist, born in or about 1644, the only daughter of Sir Gilbert Pickering, bart., of Tichmarsh, Northamptonshire. "In October 1668 she became the w...
Her husband, John Creed was a man of some importance in his day. "Of his history previously to the Restoration little is known, but in March 1660 he was nominated deputy-treasurer of the fleet by Lord...
Thomas Creed or Creede (d. 1616?), was an English stationer, made free of the Stationers' Company 7 Oct. 1578 by Thomas East

Creed Ranking

In the United States, the name Creed is the 4,910^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 6

Migration of the Creed family to Ireland

Some of the Creed family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 261 words (19 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Creed migration to the United States +

A look at the immigration and passenger lists has shown a number of people bearing the name Creed:

Creed Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Creed, who arrived in Virginia in 1662 7
Edward Creed, who settled in Virginia in 1663
John Creed, who landed in Maryland in 1670 7
Edward Creed, who arrived in Maryland in 1670 7

Creed Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Mathew Creed, who landed in Virginia in 1714 7

Creed Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Penelope Creed who arrived in New York in 1820

Creed migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Creed Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

William Creed, aged 16, a clerk, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the brig "Charity" from Kinsale, Ireland
Mary Creed, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1845
Miss. Ellen Creed, aged 8 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Bridgetown" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in September 1847 8
Mr. John Creed, aged 11 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Elliotts" departing from the port of Dublin, Ireland but died on Grosse Isle in July 1847 8
Mr. Stephen Creed, aged 22 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Elliotts" departing from the port of Dublin, Ireland but died on Grosse Isle in July 1847 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Creed migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Creed Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Anna Creed, (b. 1811), aged 21, English nursery maid who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Fanny" on 14th July 1832, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
Miss Mary Creed, (b. 1806), aged 28, Irish house servant from Cork who was convicted in Surrey, England for 14 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Edward" on 23rd April 1834, arriving in Tasmania, (Van Diemen's Land), she died in 1836 10
Mr. Thomas Creed, (b. 1816), aged 22, Irish labourer who was convicted in Limerick, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Elphinstone" on 29th December 1838, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
Francis Creed, English convict from Norfolk, who was transported aboard the "Adelaide" on August 08, 1849, settling in Van Diemen's Land and Port Phillip, Australia 12
Mary Creed, aged 19, who arrived in South Australia in 1849 aboard the ship "Elgin" 13
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Creed migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Creed Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Charles Creed, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
James Creed, who landed in Otakou, New Zealand in 1840
Thomas Edward Creed, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
Mrs. Phoebe Creed, (b. 1831), aged 28, British nurse travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Regina" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 4th December 1859 14
Mr. William Richard Creed, (b. 1852), aged 7, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Regina" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 4th December 1859 14
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Creed migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 15

Creed Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Jonathon Creed, who arrived in Barbados in 1679 with his wife and daughter

Contemporary Notables of the name Creed (post 1700) +

Richard L. "Dick" Creed (1931-2024), American professional football on-field official who worked two Super Bowls, XXVI as a side judge, and XXX as a back judge
Clifford Ann Creed (b. 1938), retired American professional golfer, member of the LPGA Tour in 1963 and won eleven LPGA Tour victories
Linda Diane Creed (1948-1986), American singer-songwriter and lyricist
William F. Creed, American Democratic Party politician, Presidential Elector for New York, 1884 16
Raymond Rodney Creed (1875-1954), American politician, Mayor of Gilbert, Arizona, 1925-27 16
Platt H. Creed, American Republican politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from Brookfield; Elected 1948 16
Kathi Creed, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Ohio, 2004, 2008 (alternate) 16
John M. Creed, American politician, Delegate to Whig National Convention from Ohio, 1839 16
James Creed, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 1948 16
Edward C. Creed, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Massachusetts State House of Representatives Fifteenth Suffolk District, 1905 16
... (Another 13 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Sources +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Rye, Walter, A History of Norfolk. London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, 1885. Print
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 22)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 29th September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fanny
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th January 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/edward
Convict Records Australia. Retrieved on 18th March 2022 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elphinstone
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 17) Adelaide voyage to Van Diemen's Land and Port Phillip, Australia in 1849 with 303 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/adelaide/1849
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) ELGIN 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Elgin.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 28) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html