Show ContentsUrry History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Urry family

The surname Urry was first found in Ayrshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Inbhir Àir), formerly a county in the southwestern Strathclyde region of Scotland, that today makes up the Council Areas of South, East, and North Ayrshire.

One of the first records of the name was Adam Urri who appears as burgess of Irvine in 1260 and Huwe Urry of Ayrshire who rendered homage to King Edward I of England in his brief intrusion into Scotland in 1296. Reginald Urry held land in Irvine in 1323 and William Urri resigned the lands of Fulton in 1409. [1]

Another branch of the family was found in the Fetteresso parish, Kincardineshire and for the most part, these names included "de" denoting "of." Hugh de Urre swore fealty at St. John of Perth and later with a different spelling as Hugh Uny at Forfar, 1296. [1] This latter entry is presumably another person rendering homage to King Edward I.

Further south in England where the Hurry, Hurrey and Hurrie variants tends to more popular, early records were typically found in the Latin form: Urrius de la haie c.1148 in Herefordshire; Walter, Herueus Urri in the Curia Regis Rolls for Surrey in 1208 and in the Pipe Rolls for Norfolk in 1209; Gilbert Uri in the Curia Regis Rolls for Lincolnshire in 1214; Alan Hurry in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1219; Geoffrey Orry in the Liber Feodorum for Shropshire in 1235; and later Walter Horry for the Isle of Wight in 1290; and John Ourry in 1297. [2]

Early History of the Urry family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Urry research. Another 180 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1279, 1300, 1302, 1366, 1387, 1619, 1650, 1666, 1677, 1715, 1778 and 1857 are included under the topic Early Urry History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Urry Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Urie, Ure, Urey, Hurry, Hurrie, Horrey, Orrey and many more.

Early Notables of the Urry family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

  • Sir John Urry (or Hurry) (died 1650), a Scottish professional soldier; and his brother, Sir William Urry (died 1677), a Scottish Royalist officer during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, he joined Charl...


Canada Urry migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Urry Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • James Urry, who landed in Saint Vincent in 1760-1763

New Zealand Urry 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:

Urry Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Richard Raby Urry, (b. 1801), aged 58, British wheelwright travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Regina" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 4th December 1859 [3]
  • Mrs. Ann Urry, (b. 1817), aged 42, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Regina" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 4th December 1859 [3]
  • Miss Sarah Ann Urry, (b. 1836), aged 23, British domestic servant travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Regina" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 4th December 1859 [3]
  • Miss Ruth Urry, (b. 1845), aged 14, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Regina" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 4th December 1859 [3]
  • Miss Charlotte Urry, (b. 1848), aged 11, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Regina" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 4th December 1859 [3]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Urry (post 1700) +

  • Lewis Frederick Urry (1927-2004), Canadian chemical engineer and inventor of both the alkaline battery and lithium battery while working for the Eveready Battery company
  • Claudia Megan "Meg" Urry, American astrophysicist, President of the American Astronomical Society, formerly on the Hubble Space Telescope faculty
  • Francis L. Urry (1908-1985), American radio, stage, and film actor, best known for his work in the films Johnny Lingo, Uncle Ben, and The Windows of Heaven
  • Michelle Urry (1939-2006), born Michelle Dorothy Kaplan, American cartoon editor of Playboy magazine for over 30 years
  • Christopher K. "Chris" Urry (b. 1952), New Zealand male sailor who represented New Zealand at the 1976 Summer Olympics
  • Philip Joel Urry (b. 1973), known by his stage name Phil Joel, New Zealand musician and the former bassist for the Christian rock group Newsboys
  • John Richard Urry FAcSS (1946-2016), British sociologist, Professor at Lancaster University


The Urry 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: Sans tache
Motto Translation: Without stain.


  1. 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)
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  3. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html


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