Crystal History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

Etymology of Crystal

What does the name Crystal mean?

The name Crystal has a rich and ancient history. It is an Anglo-Saxon name that was originally derived from Christopher, an ancient and popular font name which has been common since the 12th century. 1 Another source claims the name was "derived from a geographical locality. 'of Cristall.' I cannot find the spot, but Yorkshire seems to have been the home of the surname." 2

Early Origins of the Crystal family

The surname Crystal was first found in Yorkshire where one of the first records of the name was Robert de Cristall who was registered in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. 2

Scotland was another homeland for the family and in this case, "it is certainly a diminutive or pet form of Christopher. The first form was an old surname in Foveran and it was not uncommon in Prestwick, Ayrshire, in the fifteenth century" 3

Early History of the Crystal family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Crystal research. Another 96 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1470, 1474, 1487, 1491, 1535, 1567, 1650, 1672 and 1790 are included under the topic Early Crystal History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Crystal Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Crystal include Chrystal, Cristall, Cristoll, Cristole, Cristell, Crystal, Crystall, MacCrystall, MacCristall and many more.

Early Notables of the Crystal family

Notables of the family at this time include

Thomas Crystall, (d. 1535) the twenty second abbot of a Cistercian monastery of Kinloss, near Forres in Moray. "Crystall was born in Culross in Perthshire, and educated in its monastery, a house of th...

Crystal Ranking

In the United States, the name Crystal is the 14,943^rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4

Crystal migration to the United States +

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Crystal Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Crystal, aged 29, who arrived in America in 1822 5
G Crystal, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 5
Agnes Crystal, aged 2, Scottish settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Cynosure" in 1863
Mr. Andrew Crystal, aged 34, Scottish settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Cynosure" in 1863
Miss Elizabeth Crystal, aged 10, Scottish settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Cynosure" in 1863
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Crystal (post 1700) +

Mary Crystal, American politician, Independent Candidate for Presidential Elector for Michigan, 1992 6
Harry W. Crystal, American Republican politician, Candidate for Delaware State House of Representatives 37th District, 1998 6
William Edward "Billy" Crystal (b. 1947), American five-time American Comedy Award winning, five-time Primetime Emmy Award winning, three-time Golden Globe nominated comedian, actor and writer, nine-time host of the Academy Awards
Professor David Crystal (b. 1941), British linguist, academic and author
Crystal Lynn Bernard (b. 1961), American singer-songwriter and actress
Crystal Lee Sutton (1940-2009), American union organizer and advocate who gained fame in 1979 when she was portrayed in the film Norma Rae. She was fired from her job at the J.P. Stevens plant in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina on May 30, 1973, after she copied an anti-union letter posted on the company bulletin board
Crystal Lillico, Canadian curler at the 2012 Canadian Junior Curling Championships
Crystal Griffith, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Texas, 2012 7
Crystal Lovett-Tibbs, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Missouri, 2008 8
Crystal Zorbaugh, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Maryland, 2008 9

The Crystal Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Mens conscia recti
Motto Translation: A mind conscious of rectitude.

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 2) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, June 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 18) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 30) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html