Crane
An English surname that most likely began as a nickname for a tall, thin person, though some bearers may also come from place-names with the same crane element.
The #916 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 8,153 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Crane is usually explained as a nickname from the bird name, applied to someone thought to resemble a crane in height or build. One 19th-century source explicitly says it was probably first given to a tall, meagre person. In some cases, especially in place-based surnames such as Cranfield or Cranston, the same word element may refer to localities associated with cranes rather than a personal nickname.
History
Crane appears in medieval English records and has remained a straightforward, easily recognized surname. The bird-name nickname fits the pattern of many early English surnames based on visible characteristics. Related forms in historical sources show that initial C and G could sometimes alternate in older spellings, though that does not change the modern surname.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The crane was once common enough in England that it could name places as well as people, which is why Crane and surnames like Cranfield can share the same root.
From the historical record
“bury. CRANE. The bli-d— probably first ap- plied to a tall, meagre person. Cran, Crane. H.R. CRANFIELD. CRANEFIELD. A l)arish in Bedfordshire. CRANK. Brisk, jolly, merry. Hal- liwell.”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom