Croker

This ancient surname has distinctly French and baronial origins. It derives from the villages of 'Crevecoeur' found in the Departments of Calvados, Oise, and Nord, in Normandy and has in the modern spellings, several variant forms. These include Croaker, Crocker, Crawcour, Craker, Craucour, and Croker, although there is some confusion with the occupational word 'Crocker', a medieval term for a maker of pots, and certainly the source of some surnames. 'Crevecoeur' translates literally as 'heart-break', a reference to the infertility and unproductiveness of the land, so no doubt the original nameholders were pleased to come to England. Whether they came with the army of Invasion of 1066 is not proven, but certainly they were recorded shortly after. Early examples of these recordings include Alexander de Creuker of Lincoln in 1212, and Robert de Crequer in Cambridge in 1284. Later interesting recordings include Henry Crocker who embarked for the new colony of Virginia in 1620, whilst another Henry Crocker arrived in the "Marigdd" that year, followed by his wife Jone in the "Swan" shortly afterwards. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Helias de Creuequeor, which was dated 1158, the pipe rolls of the county of Suffolk, during the reign of King Henry 11, known as 'The church builder', 1154 - 1189. 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.