The Crossley surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 5,878 people carried this name — #5,868 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 50,300 people counted. That is up 7% from 5,499 in 2000.

See Crossley on the map Look up another surname

Share

What the name means

The meaning of the Crossley surname

From Old English cross (“cross”) + leah (“woodland clearing”).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Crossley» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

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

An early record he cites: Johannes de Crosselay, 1379 — Poll Tax, West Riding of Yorkshire.

His entry covers Crossley and Crosley.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 220 · public domain.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Crossley was found among the farmers of 2 counties.

It was most frequent in Yorkshire, West Riding: 24 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 417. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Yorkshire, West Riding 24
Lancashire 18

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In Scotland’s registers today

Crossley was recorded 12 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 1665th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 13. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In print

Crossley in American newspapers,
1895–1910.

Newspaper page from The Salt Lake Tribune carrying the name Crossley
The Salt Lake Tribune 1910-03-20
Newspaper page from Pullman Herald carrying the name Crossley
Pullman Herald 1895-04-13
Newspaper page from Eagle River Review carrying the name Crossley
Eagle River Review 1901-05-09

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain.

In print

Crossley in Australian newspapers,
1800s–2000s.

35,053 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Crossley. The most, 11,618, date from the 1900s. New South Wales 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 Victoria, at 1.4 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 11,221
Victoria 10,458
South Australia 4,566
Queensland 3,989
Western Australia 3,115
Tasmania 1,546
ACT (Canberra) 115
Northern Territory 12

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

Who carried it

People named Crossley,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Edith Caroline Crossley d. 1926
  • Sylvia Constance Heyder d. 1975
  • Anthony Crossley d. 1707
  • Anthony Crossley d. 1757
  • Elizabeth Helen Irwin d. 1891
  • Iris Barter d. 1931

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Crossley,
in the records of 7 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 States749 records

749 records of the Crossley name in the United States
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 233
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 198
  • Other U.S. records 318
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Cruiser H. Crossley

    Born 1920 in Pennsylvania. Enlisted 1942 at Trenton, New Jersey; ironworker. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1944, buried at Beverly National Cemetery, New Jersey.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Michael Lee Crossley

    Born 1949; from Houston, Texas. U.S. Army, indirect fire infantryman; killed in action 1971 in Quang Tin, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Alfred Crossley

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the City of New York from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 39; bricklayer. From Redcar, England; bound for Louisville.

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

Showing 3 of 749 records for Crossley in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (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: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia823 records

823 records of the Crossley name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 491
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 134
  • Other Australian records 198
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Hannah Crossley

    Died 1915 in General Hospital, Launceston, Tasmania. Will registered in Tasmania in 1915.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. 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 Thomas Crossley

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Sophia, arriving 1829; ticket of leave 1833.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Richd Crossley

    Arrived in Victoria in 1857 aboard the Waverley, aged 48; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 823 records for Crossley in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); 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).

Canada240 records

240 records of the Crossley name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 181
  • Ontario immigration records, 1865–1883 21
  • Other Canadian records 38
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Thos Crossley

    Came to Ontario in 1879 aboard the City N. York, landing at New York, bound for Oakville, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Jane Ellen Crossley

    Buried in 1973 at Union Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 91.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Cathaleen Ewell Crossley

    Died 1972 in Kentville, Kings, Nova Scotia.

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

Showing 3 of 240 records for Crossley in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom56 records

56 records of the Crossley name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 53
  • Welsh wills index cards 1
  • Other British records 2
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Cecilia McEwen Crossley

    Died 1993, aged 67; buried at Ballengeich Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Clara Crossley

    Will proved in 1941; of Colwyn Bay, Denbigh.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record G. Crossley

    Lance Corporal, Lincolnshire 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 3 of 56 records for Crossley in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · 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: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

France8 records

8 records of the Crossley name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Evelyn Simonne Crossley

    Born 1922 in Bordeaux (Gironde); died 1991 in Antibes (Alpes-Maritimes).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record David Francis Crossley

    Born 1947 in the United Kingdom; died 1990 in Blaru (Yvelines).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Mary Lavinia Crossley

    Born 1913 in Great Britain; died 2001 in Raismes (Nord).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 8 records for Crossley in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

New Zealand5 records

5 records of the Crossley name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 4
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Norman Fredrick Crossley

    Died 1990, aged 61; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record James Crossley

    Died 1899, aged 76; buried at Omaka Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Walter Crossley

    Died 1919, aged 59; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 5 records for Crossley in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District 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).

Netherlands1 record

1 record of the Crossley name in the Netherlands Dutch population registers
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Agnes Frances Crossley

    In the population register of 's-Gravenhage; born 1898 in Crosslee.

    Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (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).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Crossley.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Crossley 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.

See the Crossley volume
Scroll to Top