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Durrant History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Durrant History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France
Italy
Scotland

The distinguished surname Durrant 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 Durrant came from the Latin word durants which means to endure, to persevere or to persist.

Early Origins of the Durrant family

The surname Durrant 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 Durrant family

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

Durrant 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 Durrant include Durante, Duranti, Durando, Durantini, Dante, Danti, Dantini, Duranco, Durastanti, Durrante, Durrant, Duran, Durand and many more.

Early Notables of the Durrant 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. Marghereta Durastanti, born in 1695, was an opera singer and at the height of her fame, was performing at the King's Theatre in London under Handel. Giuseppe-Francesco Durando was a banker in Piedmont who in 1752 was given the feudal...
Another 75 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Durrant Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Durrant Ranking

In the United States, the name Durrant is the 10,776^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Durrant migration to the United States +

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

Durrant Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Richard Durrant, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 2

Durrant Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Thomas Durrant, who settled in Maryland in 1774

Durrant Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Durrant, who arrived in New York in 1846 2

Durrant Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Horace W Durrant, who landed in Mississippi in 1905 2

Durrant migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Durrant Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Samuel Durrant, who landed in Canada in 1832

Durrant migration to Australia +

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

Durrant Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Maria Durrant, English convict who was convicted in Sussex, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Fanny" on 14th July 1832, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 3
Mr. Thomas Durrant, English convict who was convicted in St Albans, Hertfordshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Eden" on 27th August 1836, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1843 4
James Durrant, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Isabella Watson" in 1846 5
David Durrant, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Branken Moor" in 1849 6
Miss. Sarah Ann Durrant, English convict who was convicted in Norwich, Norfolk, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Baretto Junior" on 5th April 1850, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Durrant 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:

Durrant Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

William Durrant, aged 25, a labourer, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "Gertrude" in 1841 8
Mr. Elisha Durrant, British settler, as the 2nd Detachment of New Zealand Corps of Royal New Zealand Fencibles travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Minerva" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 8th October 1847 9
F. Durrant, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Golconda" in 1859
James Durrant, aged 45, a labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Waimea" in 1876
Mary Durrant, aged 45, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Waimea" in 1876
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Durrant 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. 10

Durrant Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Thomas Durrant arrived with his wife and servants in Barbados in 1680

Contemporary Notables of the name Durrant (post 1700) +

Devin George Durrant (b. 1960), retired American professional basketball player who played for the Indiana Pacers and the Phoenix Suns from 1984 to 1985
William James Durrant, American historian, philosopher and teacher
Winnie Durrant, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New Jersey, 2000 11
Joyce Durrant, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Utah, 1996 11
H. W. Durrant, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Mississippi, 1908 11
Sir Henry Thomas Estridge Durrant (1807-1861), 3rd Baronet of Scottow, Norfolk, English peer
Sir Thomas Durrant (1775-1829), 2nd Baronet of Scottow, Norfolk, English peer
Sir Thomas Durrant (1722-1790), 1st Baronet of Scottow, Norfolk, High Sheriff of Norfolk in 1784, English peer
Sir William Alexander Estridge Durrant (b. 1929), 8th Baronet of Scottow, Norfolk, English peer
Sir William Henry Estridge Durrant (1901-1994), 7th Baronet of Scottow, Norfolk, English peer
... (Another 11 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Durrant family +

Empress of Ireland

Mr. James Durrant (1890-1914), Canadian Third Class Passenger from Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 12
Mrs. Frances Durrant (1884-1914), née King Canadian Third Class Passenger from Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 12

Citations +

"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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 29th September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fanny
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th October 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eden
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) ISABELLA WATSON 1846. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1846IsabellaWatson.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The BRANKEN MOOR 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849BrankenMoor.htm
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/baretto-junior
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 12th December 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 4) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 16) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html