Contents [hide]

Currier History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Currier History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The family name Currier is one of the oldest Anglo-Saxon names of Britain. It was originally a name for a person who worked as a messenger or person who dresses tanned leather. In the former case, the surname Currier 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 Currier family

The surname Currier 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 Currier family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Currier 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 Currier History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Currier Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Currier include Currer, Curror, Currier, Curryer, Conreor, Couraour, Curur, Curreour, Currour, Curryar, Corour and many more.

Early Notables of the Currier 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...
Currier was born in Roxbury, Massachusetts and was apprenticed to the Boston printing firm of William and John Pendleton, the first successful lithographers in the United States...

Currier Ranking

In the United States, the name Currier is the 2,613^rd most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 4

Currier migration to the United States +

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Currier Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Richard Currier, who landed in Salisbury, Massachusetts in 1675 5

Currier Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

S Currier, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 5
E Currier, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 5

Currier migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Currier Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Richard Currier, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
Mr. Issachar Currier U.E. from Amesbury, Massachusetts, USA who settled in Upper Gagetown, Gagetown, New Brunswick c. 1783 he died in 1807 in Kingsclear, New Brunswick 6
Mr. Martin Currier U.E. who arrived at Port Roseway [Shelburne], Nova Scotia on October 26, 1783 was passenger number 26 aboard the ship "HMS Clinton", picked up on September 20, 1783 at East River, New York 6
Mrs. Magdalen Currier U.E. who arrived at Port Roseway [Shelburne], Nova Scotia on October 26, 1783 was passenger number 77 aboard the ship "HMS Clinton", picked up on September 20, 1783 at East River, New York 6
Esq. Henry Currier U.E. (b. 1770), aged 13 who arrived at Port Roseway [Shelburne], Nova Scotia on October 26, 1783 was passenger number 128 aboard the ship "HMS Clinon", picked up on September 20, 1783 at East River, New York 6

Currier migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Currier Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Currier, British convict who was convicted in Warwick, Warwickshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Competitor"18th March 1823, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Currier (post 1700) +

Nathaniel Currier (1813-1888), American lithographer, co-founder of Currier & Ives, known for their romantic art prints of Christmas scenes, landscapes and Victorian times
Frank Dunklee Currier (1853-1921), American politician, U.S. Representative from New Hampshire
Nathan Currier (b. 1960), American award winning composer from Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, son of composer Marilyn Currier (b. 1931) and brother of composer Sebastian Currier (b. 1959)
Althea Currier (b. 1942), American glamour model and actress
Cindy Figg Currier (b. 1960), American professional golfer
Chester Currier (1946-2007), American newspaper and magazine columnist and nonfiction book author
William Frank Currier (b. 1955), former American football defensive back
Moody Currier (1806-1898), American lawyer, banker, generous patron of the arts, and Republican politician
Sebastian Currier (b. 1959), American composer of music for chamber groups and orchestras
Frank Currier (1857-1928), American actor and director of the silent era
... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Currier 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

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/competitor