Recorded as may be expected, in a range of spellings including Crankhorn, Crankhorne, Cronckhorn, Crunkhorn, and Crunkhurn, this is an English surname. It is locational and apparently from some now 'lost' medieval village of which the only reminder in the late 20th century is the surviving surname. We have not been able to positively identify any place in the gazetters of the British Isles over the past three centuries which might fit, except possibly Crumpelhorn, a hamlet which is now attached to Polperro in Cornwall. If it does originate from this place it does not appear in the Cornish Surnames list. However this is both possible and logical, as locational surnames were usually 'from' names. That is to say names given to people after they left their original homes to move somewhere else. This was a system of naming which given that spelling over the centuries was at best indifferent and local accents very thick, soon lead to the development of 'sounds like' variant spellings. Crumpelhorn is believed to mean the 'crooked valley ', from the pre 7th century Olde English 'crumb-horn' and we have no doubt that the surname means the same. Early examples of the surname recordings include Mary Cronckhorne at St Giles Cripplegate, in the city of London on November 20th 1575, and a century later that of Catherine Crunkhorn who married Albone Harrerd, at the famous church of St Mary-le-Bone, also in the city of London, on August 13th 1676.

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