The Kreer Surname

The surname Kreer is a German surname and may include alternative spellings like Krier, Kreier, and Kreher. It has been said that family names did not come into practice until late in the Middle Ages. First of all, the nobles in the twelfth century called themselves after their ancestral seats. Then, the common citizens began to adapt surnames.

The German surname Kreer is of nickmname and local origin. The surname Kreher/Kreer meaning "crow" indicates that maybe the individual bearer of the name lived by the sign of the crow or perhaps they decended from people living in the town of  Kreershäuschen in Germany. The coat of arms and the crest both contain a crow with its wing raised and garnished with an azure cross.

References to the surname Kreer include one named Kreier who lived by Bregena in 1340. The first Kreer in America was a man that married an Adams in the era of German Quakerism or Philadelphia under Pastorius. Although many Kreers are catholic, many early German immigrants are Evangelical Luthern.

Early migration may have taken the "Kreer" families to the British Isles where their names were anglicized to Creer or Greer. One researcher reports that the name Crear is almost exclusive to the Isle of Man.

Many Germans migrated to France or Belgium for religous freedom. These names were sometimes changed to Krier or  Kryer. When these people migrated to the British Isles, once again the first letter was changed to a "C" or a "G". There are reports that some these immigrants to America reverted back to the Kreer spelling after being teased about being a "cryer" or one that cries often.

Germanic naming customs and research. First of all, in the old country a family took the surname of the property owner where they lived. This was not always the father's or even the mother's surname and could change as a family moved about. Secondly, children often received the mother's maiden name as a middle name or common name. In early America, there was a strict naming tradition that was followed. Please check our links for more information on these customs.

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