Door History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

Door is a name that first reached England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Door family lived in Herefordshire. The family settled in Dore in that county, and it is from this location that their surname derives.

Early Origins of the Door family

The surname Door was first found in Herefordshire at Dore Abbey, a former Cistercian abbey in the village of Abbey Dore in the Golden Valley. The abbey was founded in 1147 by Robert fitzHarold of Ewyas, the Lord of Ewyas Harold, and derives it name from the River Dore, a Celtic river-name meaning "the waters." 1

"This parish derives its name from its situation on the river Dore, and from an abbey of White or Cistercian monks, founded here in the reign of Stephen, by Robert, son of Harold, Lord of Ewyas, and dedicated to the Virgin Mary and St. Edmund." 2

Dore is also a village in South Yorkshire which is listed in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle c. 829 when King Egbert of Wessex led his army to the village to receive the submission of King Eanred of Northumbria. Some claim that Egbert became the first king of England at Dore. Today the "Dore Stone," located on the village green commemorates King Egbert's victory.

Early History of the Door family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Door research. Another 63 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Door History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Door Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Door are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Door include Dore, Dorey, Dory, Dorie, Doar, Doare, Doore, Doorey, Doorie and many more.

Early Notables of the Door family

More information is included under the topic Early Door Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Door family to Ireland

Some of the Door 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.

Door migration to the United States +

Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Door, or a variant listed above:

Door Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Jenlis Door, aged 33, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1732 3
Valentine Door, who landed in South Carolina in 1749 3

Door migration to Australia +

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

Door Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Margaret Door, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Harry Lorrequer" in 1849 4

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
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)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) HARRY LORREQUER 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849HarryLorrequer.htm