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Duran History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Duran History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France
Italy
Scotland
Spain

The distinguished surname Duran can be traced back to the ancient and beautiful region of Venice. Although people were originally known only by a single name, it became necessary for people to adopt a second name to identify themselves as populations grew and travel became more frequent. The process of adopting fixed hereditary surnames was not complete until the modern era, but the use of hereditary family names in Italy began in the 10th and 11th centuries. Italian hereditary surnames were developed according to fairly general principles and they were characterized by a profusion of derivatives coined from given names. The most common type of family name found in the region of Venice is the patronymic surname, which is derived from the father's given name. During the Middle Ages, Italians adopted the patronymic system of name-making because it perfectly complemented the prevailing Feudal System. In Italy the popularity of patronymic type of surname is also due to the fact that during the Christian era, people often named their children after saints and biblical figures. The surname Duran came from the Latin word durants which means to endure, to persevere or to persist.

Early Origins of the Duran family

The surname Duran was first found in Mondovì, dating back to the 13th century with Giovanni and Giacomo Durando, were listed as military Generals of the time.

Early History of the Duran family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Duran research. The years 1544, 1672, 1684, 1695, 1718, 1720, 1721, 1723, 1742, 1752, 1755 and 1791 are included under the topic Early Duran History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Duran Spelling Variations

In comparison with other European surnames, Italian surnames have a surprising number of forms. They reflect the regional variations and the many dialects of the Italian language, each with its own distinctive features. For example, in Northern Italy the typical Italian surname suffix is "i", whereas in Southern Italy it is "o". Additionally, spelling changes frequently occurred because medieval scribes and church officials often spelled names as they sounded rather than according to any specific spelling rules. The spelling variations in the name Duran include Durante, Duranti, Durando, Durantini, Dante, Danti, Dantini, Duranco, Durastanti, Durrante, Durrant, Duran, Durand and many more.

Early Notables of the Duran family

Prominent among members of the family was

Francesco Durante, born at Fratta Maggiore in 1684, was a composer of church and chamber music, and became Head of the Conservatorio di Santa Maria di Loreto in Naples...
Giuseppe-Francesco Durando was a banker in Piedmont who in 1752 was given the feudal territory, and with this the noble status, of Villa del Bosco...
The most prominent members of the Duran family from the Piedmontese tradition include Durante Duranti of Brescia, honored with the title of Cardinal on December 19, 1544...
Silvestro Durante (died 1672) was a composer of church music who was famous during the 17th century...

Duran Ranking

In the United States, the name Duran is the 601^st most popular surname with an estimated 49,740 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Duran is ranked the 1,322^nd most popular surname with an estimated 4,288 people with that name. 2

Duran migration to the United States +

Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Duran were among those contributors:

Duran Settlers in United States in the 16th Century

Diego Durán, who settled in America in 1510
Rodrigo Durán, who arrived in Cartagena in 1534
Juan Durán, who arrived in Mexico in 1563
Juan Duran, who arrived in Peru in 1565
Diego Durán, who settled in Mexico and wrote a "History of the Indies of New Spain" based on Mexican legends. He died in Mexico in 1588

Duran Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Duran, who arrived in Virginia in 1654 3

Duran Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Charles Duran, who arrived in New Jersey in 1738-1739 3
Charles Duran, who lived in New Jersey from 1738-1739
Joseph Duran, who arrived in South Carolina in 1755 3
Paul Duran, who arrived in South Carolina in 1755 3
Gregorio Durán, who arrived in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1778 with his wife Ana

Duran Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Salvador Duran, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1802 3
Jose Maria Duran, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1804 3
Tiburcio Duran, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1809 3
Diego Duran, who landed in America in 1810 3
Garcia Duran, who arrived in America in 1812 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Duran migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 4

Duran Settlers in West Indies in the 16th Century

Diego Durán, who arrived in the Dominican Republic in 1535

Duran Settlers in West Indies in the 19th Century

Andres Duran, who landed in Dominican Republic in 1836 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Duran (post 1700) +

Dr. Manuel Durán, American university professor
Willis H. Duran, American Republican politician, Mayor of Westbrook, Maine, 1920 5
Nicholas Duran, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from California, 2008 5
Katherine Duran, American Democratic Party politician, Presidential Elector for New Mexico, 2012 5
Juan J. Duran, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New Mexico, 1916 5
John J. Duran, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 1996, 2008 5
Ingrid Duran, American Democratic Party politician, Member, Platform Committee, Democratic National Convention, 2008 5
Efrain A. Duran, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Texas, 1964 5
Crisanta Duran, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Colorado, 2008 5
Apolonio Duran, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New Mexico, 1948 5
... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 28) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html