The Crews surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 24,219 people carried this name — #1,475 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 12,200 people counted. That is up 5% from 23,167 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Crews surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a nickname: ‘the cruse’ — the first of the origins he gives.

An early record he cites: Nicholas le Cruse, Bedfordshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

His entry covers Cruse, Crews and Crewes.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 222 · public domain.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

70 families named Crews, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 341 people lived in those households, 4.9 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 6 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Virginia 26
North Carolina 17
South Carolina 10
Maryland 8
Pennsylvania 5
New York 3
Maine 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 235 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Crews in American newspapers,
1897–1920.

Newspaper page from The Lancaster Ledger carrying the name Crews
The Lancaster Ledger 1897-07-07
Newspaper page from The Neshoba Democrat carrying the name Crews
The Neshoba Democrat 1920-04-01
Newspaper page from The Newberry Herald And News carrying the name Crews
The Newberry Herald And News 1897-07-06

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 2,936 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Crews in Australian newspapers,
1840s–2000s.

8,032 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Crews. The most, 2,256, date from the 1860s. Victoria has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Western Australia, at 2.9 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 5,266
New South Wales 921
Western Australia 898
South Australia 606
Queensland 188
Tasmania 71
ACT (Canberra) 60

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

Who carried it

People named Crews,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Laura Hope Crews
    Laura Hope Crews 1879–1942 · actor
  • Dick Crews d. 2025 · basketball player
  • John Branscombe Crews 1815–1905
  • Charles Thomas Daniell Crews 1838–1914 · politician
  • Mary Ann Gill Washington 1841–1923 · art collector
  • William H. Crews 1845– · politician

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Crews,
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 States1,181 records

1,181 records of the Crews name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 778
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 282
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 34
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 30
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 25
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 15
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 8
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 6
  • Sacramento County historic burials 3
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record John Divine Crews

    Born 1942; from Morristown, New Jersey. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1968 in Pleiku, South Vietnam. Buried at Wilmington National Cemetery, North Carolina.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Nadi L. Crews

    Born 1905 in Colorado. Enlisted 1943 in the Women's Army Corps at Camp Campbell Hopkinsville, Kentucky; bookkeeper. Veteran of World War II; died 1962, buried at Golden Gate National Cemetery, California.

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

    Arrived at New York in 1884 aboard the Moravia from Hamburg, aged 26; tourist. From Reseritz, Germany.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 1,181 records for Crews in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia60 records

60 records of the Crews name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 33
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 8
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 5
  • Tasmanian Names Index 5
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 5
  • Canberra cemetery and marriage records 2
  • State Library of Western Australia indexes 2
  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 Crews

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Helen Marr in 1833.

    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 Richd Crews

    Arrived in Victoria in 1854 aboard the Mooresfort, aged 25; 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 Fredrick M. Crews

    Hairdresser of Brunswick, Victoria; died 1952.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 60 records for Crews in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0). 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).

Canada38 records

38 records of the Crews name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 33
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 2
  • Halifax municipal cemeteries 1
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 1
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 1
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Donald G. Crews

    Buried in 1983 at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, aged 54.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Edward N. Crews

    Died 1910 in Brass Hill, Shelburne, 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 Fanny G. Crews

    Married 1894 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

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

Showing 3 of 38 records for Crews in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. 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).

United Kingdom3 records

3 records of the Crews name in the United Kingdom
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 2
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Jennett Crews

    Buried in 1828 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 82.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record C. H. Crews

    Orcestershire Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Jennett Crews

    Buried in 1828 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 56.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Counts: MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

New Zealand1 record

1 record of the Crews name in New Zealand Christchurch City cemetery records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Leslie Beauvais Crews

    Died 1994, aged 74; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Crews.

When the index is not enough

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

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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