Last name: Cruise

This interesting surname, with variant spellings Crew, Cruise, Cruse, Cruwys and Crouse may be of three possible origins. Firstly, it may be of English locational origin from "Crewe", in Cheshire, recorded as "Crev", in the Domesday Book of 1086, "Crue" in 1346 in the Index to the Charters and Rolls in the British Museum. The placename is composed of the Welsh word "cryw", stepping stones. Secondly, the surname may derive from the Medieval English "cr(o)us(e)", bold, fierce, a nickname for a fierce bold and daring person. Finally, the surname may perhaps be of French habitational origin from "Cruys-Straete" in Nord, from the Gaulish word "crodiu", hard. One Richard de Crues was recorded in the Curia Rolls of Devonshire in 1214, while the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire list a Robert Cruse in 1275. Sir Thomas Crew or Crewe (1565 - 1634) was a speaker of the House of Commons. On August 3rd 1618, Francis, son of Robert Crews was christened at St. Pancras, Soper Lane, London and Elizabeth Crews married James Kiff on February 14th 1830 at St. James, Paddington. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Nicholas le Criuse, which was dated 1213, Curia Rolls of Bedfordshire, during the reign of King John, known as "Lackland", 1199 - 1216. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

Visitor Comments

Carl Plage
Also the surname Cruise especially from Ireland was from shipwrecked people from the Spanish Armada who integrated into Irish communities. The Irish hatred for their English overlords kept the Spaniards safe from capture and many generations of Cruise surnamed people existed in Ireland. I know this because I am descended from one of these Cruise Spanish-Irish people.

James Hunt
Very interesting. My grandmother was an Irish Cruise. She also claimed that the name originated from a survivor of the Aramada. and she said that

Susan Cruse
Hello My Father was Earl S. Cruse, son of Forrest Calvin Cruse, son of George Washington Cruse, son of Augustus Cruse, son of John (?) Cruse. And here it stops. They were from PA and in 1838 went to Miami Co., Ohio. Basically, that has been the home of the original line of Cruses ever since. My Dad moved to New Mexico the Oregon when I was small--1949 or so. He was a WWII vet.If any of this is familiar to anyone, I would really appreciate hearing from you. Thanks, Susan J. Cruse (aka Suz or Buckeye)

Ray W Cruise
My family de Cruys originates in Normandy they were part of the Norman invasion of England in 1066 then as part of the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland in 1169 by Richard FitzGlibert de Clare (known as Strongbow) in 1169 my forefathers immigrated from Ireland to Quebec Canada in 1836 the original Canadian of my family branch was named John Cruise he was born in county Meath in 1795