Crosby
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Meaning
“English surname from Old Norse 'cross settlement'”
The story
Crosby began as an English surname from place names formed with Old Norse kross, cross, and býr, farm or settlement. It therefore means cross settlement at the place-name level, not a modern virtue or occupational label. The surname moved into given-name use through the familiar English pattern that also produced choices such as Harrison and Parker. In American records Crosby is only faintly present through most of the twentieth century, then rises clearly in the 2010s and holds that level in the 2020s. That makes its current style genuinely modern even though the town and surname behind it are old. Singer Bing Crosby is the most famous surname bearer, while hockey player Sidney Crosby keeps the family name visible today. As a first name, Crosby combines a crisp sound with a documented Norse and English geography.
How popular is Crosby around the world?
In the United States, 1,499 babies were named Crosby between 2020 and 2025.
Crosby is on the official records of the United States.
United States
1 in 15,000
In the United States, 1,499 babies were named Crosby between 2020 and 2025.
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Crosby peaked in the 2010s and the 2020s in nearly equal measure.
Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration
Austria
last on record 2020
Crosby is not on the 2025 record for Austria, which publishes every first name down to a single birth, so the name was not given there that year.
The count never rose above 1 in a year, too few to chart.
Live births in Austria by year of birth, 1984–2025, from Statistik Austria’s first-name statistics; spellings that differ only by special characters are counted together (umlauts stay apart), every name down to a single birth is published, and the count covers babies with Austrian citizenship only until 2009, every baby from 2010, and from 2015 also births abroad to mothers living in Austria. Shares divide by Statistik Austria’s count of live births from 2010, and before that by the file’s own total for the year. Source: Statistik Austria - data.statistik.gv.at (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1, updated 2026-07-09)
Canada
last on record 2023
Crosby is not on the 2024 record for Canada, where names under 5 in a year are excluded at source.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from provincial and territorial vital statistics across Canada; any name-sex-year under 5 is excluded at source, and small Quebec counts carry a randomized adjustment made at source. Shares divide by Statistics Canada’s count of live births for the year; the 2024 count is preliminary. Source: Statistics Canada, first names at birth (table 17-10-0147-01)
England and Wales
last on record 2014
Crosby is not on the 2025 record for England and Wales, where spellings under 3 in a year are withheld at source.
The count never rose above 4 in a year, too few to chart.
Birth registrations in England and Wales (not the whole UK); exact spellings are counted separately, and any spelling under 3 in a year is withheld at source. Source: Office for National Statistics, baby names in England and Wales
South Australia
last on record 2014
Crosby is not on the 2017 record for South Australia, whose registry publishes every name given that year.
The count never rose above 1 in a year, too few to chart.
Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names
Not on the record in Spain, Mexico City, Argentina, Puerto Rico, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland and Poland: those registries withhold small counts, so rare uses may sit below their floors.
Not on the Chile record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 5 registrations in some year, so rarer uses are not shown. Not on the Montevideo record for 1940 to 2011: that registry withholds nothing, so this spelling was not given there in those years. Not on the France record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 20 births in some year, so rarer uses are not shown. Not on Norway’s list: Statistics Norway lists only first names carried by 200 or more living people, so rarer names are not shown.
When you meet Crosby
Most people given the name Crosby in the United States are children or teenagers today. The name belongs to this generation.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Crosby deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Crosby truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Crosby fits with your family’s names and surname.
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