Many Irish and English names are inextricably inter-mixed to the point where the origin is from several sources. In this case, "Creavan" or "Cravane" can be derived from the English locational surname "Craven", but is more likely to be an Anglicized form of "O'Crabhain", from Co. Galway, or "MacCrabhain", from Louth-Monaghan. Oddly enough, both the Irish and the English names mean the same thing, and refer to the source or the branch (of a river), the origination in both cases being based upon the Ancient British "crobh", or possibly "crif", although the latter means "place of garlic"! The early surname recordings are mainly as "Craven"; for instance, Margaret Craven, born in Antrim, on July 1st 1637. Later Mary Cravin was recorded at Limerick Cathedral, on October 10th 1750, but this spelling seems to have been "outlived" by Craven, Creaven and Creavon. A Coat of Arms certified in Ireland to Lieutenant-General Charles Craven, of Richardstown, Co. Louth, is a shield divided quarterly, with a fesse engrailed between two fleurs-de-lis and four red cross crosslets fitchee in the first and fourth silver quarters, and a chevron between three gold annulets in the second and third azure quarters. A black griffin statant, wings addorsed, beaked, membered, and a semee of gold fleurs-de-lis, on a red chapeau, turned up ermine forms the Crest. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Susanna Creaven, which was dated October 11th 1711, marriage to John Michall, at St. John's Church, Limerick, during the reign of Queen Anne of England, known as "The Last Stuart Monarch", 1702 - 1714. 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.

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