CRAIGIE
Craigie is a surname of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic word creag, meaning a rock or crag. It is a locational surname that was traditionally assigned to a person who dwelt near a prominent rocky hill or craggy landscape.
The earliest documented bearer of the name is John de Cragyn, who is recorded as rendering homage to the republican government of Scotland in 1296. Subsequent early records include William Craigkeit, a baker registered in Aberdeen in 1613, and a John Cragell or Craghill who witnessed a document at Dartford in Kent on 19 November 1607, a year that suggests a Scottish origin for the name in the English county.
Throughout history the spelling of the surname has varied widely. Common forms are Craigie, Craighead, Craghead, Craighall, Craighill, Craghill and Cragell. The form Craighall is generally regarded as arising from the lands of Craigie, now known as Craighall, in West Lothian. Variants such as Craighill and Craghill may also share this origin, although they are occasionally associated with a place called Craighill in Perthshire where no direct evidence of name origin exists. The surname may also appear with the prefix Mac (as in Mac‑Craigie or Mc‑Craigie) and with suffixes such as ‑son or ‑s to indicate lineage.
Geographically, the name is most commonly found in Scotland, especially in Ayrshire, Perthshire, Angus, Fife and West Lothian, where several places were or still are named Craigie. In England it has been recorded in Lanarkshire, Aberdeen and Kent. The diaspora of the name has spread to the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, particularly following periods of Scottish emigration, yet it remains relatively rare in comparison with other Scottish surnames.
Other surnames that share a similar topographical origin—referencing rocks or cliffs—include Creag, Carrick and Craig‑head, though each has a distinct lineage that would require detailed genealogical verification. The persistence of the name Craigie in records from the Middle Ages to the present day highlights its enduring link to Scotland’s rugged landscape and the local communities that once clustered around its prominent rocky features.
Typical given names associated with the Craigie surname
Male
- Alan
- Andrew
- David
- Ian
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Neil
- Rob
- Robert
- Scott
- Warren
- William
Female
- Elizabeth
- Gillian
- Helen
- Jacqueline
- Margaret
- Mary
- Michelle
- Patricia
- Sarah
- Susan
- Sylvia
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Craigie in...
Braille
⠉⠗⠁⠊⠛⠊⠑
Morse
-.-..-..-..--....
Semaphore
Did you know?
According to a survey carried out by Democracy Club, politicians and candidates with the surname Craigie are most likely to say that their favourite biscuit is a Ginger Nut.
There are approximately 1,231 people named Craigie in the UK. That makes it roughly the 6,298th most common surname in Britain. Around 19 in a million people in Britain are named Craigie.
Famous people named Craigie
- Jill Craigie - Film director (1914 to 1999)
- William Craigie - Scottish philologist and lexicographer (1867 to 1957)
- Peter Craigie - Biblical scholar (1938 to 1985)
- Sam Craigie - Snooker player
- Stephen Craigie - Snooker player
- Cathie Craigie - Politician
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.