Show ContentsCoury History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Coury finds its origins with the ancient Anglo-Saxons of England. It was given to one who worked as a messenger or person who dresses tanned leather. In the former case, the surname Coury is derived from the Old French words corëor or courreour, which mean courier. 1

In the latter case, the surname is derived from the Old French word couraieur, which in turn comes from the Old French word conreeur, which means currier. 2

Early Origins of the Coury family

The surname Coury was first found in Yorkshire, where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Kildwick from ancient times.

Eluding to the occupational nature of the name, we found Richard le Curer in the Assize Rolls for Northumberland in 1256 and Henry le Coureer in Berkshire in 1281. Maurice le curaour was listed as a Freeman of York in 1293 and further to the south, William le Coureour was recorded in Devon in 1314. 3

William Curreyour, Robert Curreour and John Curreior were found in Colchester in 1375. Back in Yorkshire, Andrew Curier was listed as a Freeman of York in 1400. Robert Curryar was listed in the Feet of Fines for Huntingdonshire in 1546. 3

Early History of the Coury family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Coury research. Another 164 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1220, 1256, 1293, 1314, 1375, 1379, 1400, 1430, 1546, 1656, 1661, 1740, 1813 and 1888 are included under the topic Early Coury History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Coury Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore, spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Coury has been recorded under many different variations, including Currer, Curror, Currier, Curryer, Conreor, Couraour, Curur, Curreour, Currour, Curryar, Corour and many more.

Early Notables of the Coury family

Notables of the family at this time include Nathaniel Currier (1813-1888), co-founder of Currier & Ives, American Lithographers who created famous prints of scenes of 19th century America...
Another 27 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Coury Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Coury Ranking

In the United States, the name Coury is the 11,094th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4


United States Coury migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Coury or a variant listed above:

Coury Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Tho Coury, who landed in Virginia in 1653 5
Coury Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Patrick Coury, who arrived in Savanna(h), Georgia in 1854 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Coury (post 1700) +

  • Richard P. "Dick" Coury (1929-2020), American head football coach at California State University, Fullerton from 1970 to 1971
  • I. J. Coury, American politician, Delegate to New Mexico State Constitutional Convention, 1969 6


The Coury Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Merit
Motto Translation: Merit


  1. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  2. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  3. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  4. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  5. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  6. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, May 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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