Crum
A nickname surname from a word meaning “crooked” or “bent,” originally used for someone with a curved shape or gait.
The #2,010 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 17,206 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Crum comes from a nickname word meaning “crooked,” “bent,” or “curved.” The old English and related Germanic forms behind it include Middle English and Old English crum/crump and German krumm, all pointing to the same basic idea. In surname use, it likely began as a descriptive byname for someone with a bent posture, a crooked limb, or another noticeable physical trait.
History
Historical surname writers repeatedly group Crum with Crump, Crome, and related forms, treating them as the same nickname family. It appears in English and Scottish naming records, and later also turns up in North American directories and census material. The spelling has stayed fairly stable, though related forms such as Crump and Crumb are common.
Origin
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Fun fact
Old surname books often connect Crum with the familiar line “the cow with the crumpled horn,” because both use the same old word for something bent or crooked.
From the historical record
“Prot. ref., Lond. 1688 Crudgington. A loc. n., Salop Crum, Crummey. N. Krumr ; Fr. Crombez; p.n. (crooked, a cripple) Crummack. From Crummock ; a loc. n., Cumb.”
— British Family Names: their origin and meaning (2nd ed.)