Durgin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

The Durgin 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 Durgin family

The surname Durgin 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 Durgin family

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

Durgin Spelling Variations

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

Early Notables of the Durgin 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 Durgin Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Durgin Ranking

In the United States, the name Durgin is the 10,512^nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Durgin family to Ireland

Some of the Durgin 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.

Durgin migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Durgin Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Edmund A. Durgin, aged 31, who settled in America, in 1894

Durgin Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

George F. Durgin, aged 47, who immigrated to the United States, in 1904
Francis Durgin, aged 40, who landed in America, in 1908
Charles E. Durgin, aged 39, who landed in America, in 1911
Harry A. Durgin, aged 38, who landed in America, in 1912
Harry Durgin, aged 37, who immigrated to the United States, in 1913
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Durgin (post 1700) +

Calvin Thornton Durgin (1893-1965), Vice Admiral who served in the U.S. Navy (1916 to 1951), Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Air (1949)
Doranna Durgin, American author, recipient of the Compton Crook Award (1995)
William J. Durgin, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New Jersey, 1964 6
Philip Durgin, American Libertarian politician, Candidate for Texas State House of Representatives 48th District, 2000 6
George V. Durgin, American politician, Delegate to New Hampshire State Constitutional Convention from Campton, 1948 6
Frank H. Durgin, American politician, Member of New Hampshire State Senate 23rd District, 1897-98 6
Charles H. Durgin, American Democratic Party politician, Postmaster at Dallas, Texas, 1846-48 6
B. L. Durgin, American politician, Mayor of Haverhill, Massachusetts, 1954-55 6

The Durgin 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/
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 28) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html