Croy

Recorded in several forms including Croy, Croyser, Cross, Crozet, Crozier, and Crosser, this interesting name is English. It is however of early French origin, and is an occupational surname for the bearer of a cross or a bishop's crook in ecclesiastical processions, or of the cross at a monastery. The name might also have been used of someone who made and sold crosses or to someone living by a cross. The derivation is from the French word Croisier, originally an agent derivative of the "word crois", meaning a cross, but later also associated with "croce" meaning "crook". Job descriptive surnames originally denoted the actual occupation of the namebearer, and later became hereditary. The early recordings of the surname include Robert Croys of Colchester in 1354, Johannes Croser of Yorksshire in 1379, and four centuries later Joseph Crozier who was christened on the March 30th 1713 at St. Botolph's Bishopsgate in the city of London. The coat of arms most associated with the name has the blazon of a blue shield, on a silver fess between three gold crosses crosslet placed saltireways, as many black martlets. The Crest being an arm vested erect holding a gold crosier. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of William le Croyser. This was dated 1264, in the "Eynsham Cartulary", during the reign of King Henry 111, known as "The Frenchman", 1216 - 1272. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was sometimes known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.