Contents [hide]

Dorgan History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Dorgan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland
Ireland

The Dorgan surname is a habitational name, originally taken on from the city of Durham, in northeastern England. This place name comes from the Old English "dun," meaning "hil." Another source claims the name "is derived from the Saxon Bun and holm, a town in a wood." 1

Early Origins of the Dorgan family

The surname Dorgan was first found in "Durham in the north of England, anciently Dunhelm or Dunholm." 2 3 The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list Walter de Durham and William de Dureham in London and John de Durame in Essex. 4 By far the lion's share of records are found north in Scotland where "Robertus de Durham was one of twelve Scots knights appointed to settle the laws of the marches in 1249. The seal of Walter Durham of Dumfriesshire who rendered homage in 1290 reads S' Valteri Dwrant. " 2

Early History of the Dorgan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dorgan research. Another 115 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1246, 1296, 1399, 1565, 1611, 1622, 1658 and 1684 are included under the topic Early Dorgan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dorgan Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Durham, Durehame, Durrame, Dirom and others.

Early Notables of the Dorgan family

Notable amongst the family name during their early history was Alexander Durhame, argentier to the king and queen in 1565; John Durham, English politician, Member of Parliament for Middlesex in 1399; and Alexander Durham, Minder of the Royal Mint.James Durham (1622-1658), was a Scottish covenanting divine...
Another 45 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Dorgan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dorgan Ranking

In the United States, the name Dorgan is the 16,563^rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Dorgan family to Ireland

Some of the Dorgan family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dorgan migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Dorgan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Dorgan, who landed in Tippecanoe County, Ind in 1849 6
Con Dorgan, who arrived in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1880 6

Dorgan migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Dorgan Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Eliza Dorgan, aged 21, a servant, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Gainsborough" in 1878 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Dorgan (post 1700) +

Richard W. Dorgan (1892-1953), American cartoonist, known published work appeared in The New York Call in 1913
Micahel "Mike" Dorgan (1853-1909), American baseball player and manager who played 10 seasons in Major League Baseball, principally as an outfielder
Joseph "Joe" Dorgan (b. 1975), American professional wrestler and personal trainer, known by his ring name Johnny Swinger
John L. "Ike" Dorgan (b. 1879), American boxing manager, and publicity manager for the Madison Square Garden, founding partner of The Ring magazine
Jeremiah F. "Jerry" Dorgan (1856-1891), American baseball player who played from 1879 to 1887
Howard Dorgan (1932-2012), American academic known for his research and writing on religion in Appalachia
Thomas Aloysius "Tad" Dorgan (1877-1929), American cartoonist who signed his drawings as Tad
Byron Leslie Dorgan (b. 1942), American author, businessman, and former United States Senator and United States Representative from North Dakota
Theo Dorgan (b. 1953), Irish poet, writer and lecturer
Seán Dorgan (b. 1968), Irish Fianna Fáil politician who has served as General Secretary of Fianna Fáil since June 2007
... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Dorgan 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: Ultra fert animus
Motto Translation: The mind bears onwards

Citations +

Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Sims, Clifford Stanley The Origin and Signification of Scottish Surnames. 1862. 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)
"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)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 3rd November 2011). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html