Recorded in the spellins of Crany, Craney, Cranny, Creaney, Creeney, and Cranney, this interesting name is claimed by some to be Irish. Certainly it is well recorded in that country, although as it is not apparently associated with any particular area, except Ulster, this does suggest that the origin may elsewhere. Some Irish researchers have suggested that it was formerly MacCranny and derived from the Gaelic Mac Bhranaigh, which has the same sounding, whilst others incline to an English origin and a development of the medieval nickname 'Cran' meaning the crane (bird), and in England given to people who had a long neck! An alternative suggestion is that it may be a dialectal variant of a locational name such as Cranleigh in Surrey, or Cranoe in Leicestershire. Cranleigh is first recorded in the Pipe Rolls of 1166 as 'Cranlea', whilst Cranoe, first recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, appears as 'Craneho'. It is difficult to tell from surviving registers, and it is possible that the name developed independantly in both England and Ireland. The early recordings taken from the authentic surviving registers include the christening of Philidelphia Cranney on January 8th 1692 at St. Dunstan's, Stepney, in Quordon, Leicestershire that of Edward Cranney on March 19th 1721, and in Ireland that of Sam Craney at Aghlee, County Antrim on June 27th 1814, and that of John Cranny of Newry, County Down, on September 15th 1866. The first recorded spelling of the family name is believed to be that of Godfrey Crany. This was dated February 1st 1621, at the church of St. Martin-Vintry, London, during the reign of King James 1 of England and V1 of Scotland, 1603-1621.

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