The Crank surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 4,204 people carried this name — #7,873 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 69,900 people counted. That is up 7% from 3,917 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Crank surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘of Crank’.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 214 · public domain.

In print

Crank in American newspapers,
1903–1912.

Newspaper page from The National Tribune carrying the name Crank
The National Tribune 1903-07-16
Newspaper page from Santa Fe New Mexican carrying the name Crank
Santa Fe New Mexican 1912-03-12
Newspaper page from Santa Fe New Mexican carrying the name Crank
Santa Fe New Mexican 1912-03-18

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 710 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Crank in Australian newspapers,
1840s–1970s.

4,180 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Crank. The most, 715, date from the 1930s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Queensland, at 3.0 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Queensland 2,398
South Australia 855
New South Wales 449
Victoria 365
Western Australia 69
Tasmania 41
ACT (Canberra) 1

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Crank.

Who carried it

People named Crank,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Marion H. Crank 1915–1994 · politician
  • John Crank 1916–2006 · mathematician
  • John Crank 1916–2006 · mathematician

Wikidata (CC0) · 5 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Crank,
in the records of 5 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States208 records

208 records of the Crank name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 105
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 37
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 32
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 18
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 14
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 1
  • Sacramento County historic burials 1
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Virgil C. Crank

    Born 1920 in Missouri. Enlisted 1945 at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas; driver from Barton County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1999, buried at Fort McPherson National Cemetery, Nebraska.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Thomas Crank

    Arrived at New York in 1868 aboard the Tripoli from Liverpool, aged 25; laborer. From England.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. A U.S. Army record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864
    Example: U.S. burial record, 1864
    Burial record Douglas Robert Crank

    U.S. Navy veteran. Born 1954, died 1997; buried at St Patrick's Cemetery, Enfield, Connecticut.

    U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)

Showing 3 of 208 records for Crank in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864, U.S. National Archives (public domain).

Australia63 records

63 records of the Crank name in Australia
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 32
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 18
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 5
  • Tasmanian Names Index 4
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 3
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record John Crank

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Claudine, sailing from England in 1821. Native of Manchester, Lancashire.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Jane Crank

    Arrived in Victoria in 1854 aboard the Fulwood, aged 23; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Frank Alexander Crank

    Retired farmer of Kew East, Victoria; died 1960.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 63 records for Crank in Australia.

Counts: Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

United Kingdom4 records

4 records of the Crank name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 2
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 2
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record T. V. Crank

    King's Royal Rifle Corps. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record A. Crank

    North Staffordshire Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 2 of 4 records for Crank in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Canada3 records

3 records of the Crank name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 2
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 1
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Rosetta Crank

    Died 1918; buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record John W. Crank

    Died 1923 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Robert H. Crank

    Married 1878 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Netherlands2 records

2 records of the Crank name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 1
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 1
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Adolphe Crank

    In the population register of Maastricht; born 1847.

    Open Archives, Regionaal Historisch Centrum Limburg (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record Maria Crank

    Baptised in 1695 in Fijnaart en Heijningen.

    Open Archives, Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Crank.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Crank is.
A volume says what happened to it.

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