Contents [hide]

Durant History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Durant History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France
Italy
Scotland

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

Early Origins of the Durant family

The surname Durant 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 Durant family

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

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

Early Notables of the Durant 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...
The most prominent members of the Durant 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...

Durant Ranking

In the United States, the name Durant is the 2,471^st most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Durant is ranked the 395^th most popular surname with an estimated 10,756 people with that name. 2

Durant migration to the United States +

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

Durant Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Durant, who arrived in Maryland in 1648 3
Jo Durant, who arrived in Virginia in 1650 3
Tho Durant, who landed in Virginia in 1654 3
George Durant, who arrived in North Carolina in 1661 3
An Durant, who arrived in Virginia in 1665 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Durant Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Geo Peter Durant, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1741 3

Durant Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mr. Durant, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1822 3
Thomas Durant, who arrived in New York, NY in 1827 3
Domingo Durant, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 3
Emanuel Durant, aged 45, who arrived in Mobile, Ala in 1851 3
Gabriel Durant, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1854 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Durant migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Durant Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Jean Durant, aged 21, who landed in Canada in 1657
Mr. Jean Durant, French labourer travelling to Canada to work for Antoine Grignon, Pierre Gaigneur, and Jacques Massé, arriving on 3rd March 1657 4

Durant Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. William Durie U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784 5

Durant migration to Australia +

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

Durant Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Edward Durant, English convict who was convicted in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Dromedary" on 11th September 1819, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6
Susannah Durant, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "David Malcolm" in 1847 7

Durant 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:

Durant Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mrs. Elizabeth Durant, (b. 1833), aged 32, Cornish settler departing on 17th April 1865 aboard the ship "Indian Empire" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 23rd July 1865 8
Miss Elizabeth Durant, (b. 1864), aged 7 months, Cornish settler departing on 17th April 1865 aboard the ship "Indian Empire" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 23rd July 1865 8
Miss Margaret Durant, (b. 1863), aged 2, Cornish settler departing on 17th April 1865 aboard the ship "Indian Empire" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 23rd July 1865 8
Mr. Thomas Durant, (b. 1834), aged 31, Cornish blacksmith departing on 17th April 1865 aboard the ship "Indian Empire" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 23rd July 1865 8
Mr. Thomas Durant, (b. 1861), aged 4, Cornish settler departing on 17th April 1865 aboard the ship "Indian Empire" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 23rd July 1865 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Durant (post 1700) +

William James Durant (1885-1981), American author who shared the 1968 Pulitzer Prize for Nonfiction with his wife Ariel and later was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Ford in 1977
William Crapo "Billy" Durant (1861-1947), American leading pioneer of the United States automobile industry, founder of General Motors and Chevrolet
Ariel Durant (1898-1981), American author who shared the 1968 Pulitzer Prize for Nonfiction with her husband Will and later was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Ford in 1977
Kenneth W. Durant (1919-1942), United States Navy sailor killed in action on Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, 3 November 1942, eponym of the USS Durant (DE-389)
Joseph Scott Durant (b. 1964), American professional PGA golfer
Michael J. "Mike" Durant (b. 1961), American pilot and author who was held prisoner for eleven days in 1993, recipient of the Distinguished Service Medal, Distinguished Flying Cross with Oak Leaf Cluster, Bronze Star with Valor Device, Purple Heart, and many other honors
Don Durant (1932-2005), born Donald Allison Durae, an American actor and singer, best known for his role as the gunslinger-turned-sheriff in the CBS Western series Johnny Ringo (1959-1960)
Darian Bernard Durant (b. 1982), American CFL quarterback for the Saskatchewan Roughriders
Thomas Clark Durant (1820-1885), American financier and railroad promoter, vice-president of the Union Pacific in 1869
Kevin Wayne Durant (b. 1988), American professional NBA basketball player
... (Another 13 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Durant family +

HMS Dorsetshire

Bryan Cecil Durant, British Lieutenant Commander Navigation aboard the HMS Dorsetshire (1945) when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he survived the sinking 9

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)
Debien, Gabriel. Liste Des Engagés Pour Le Canada Au XVIIe Siècle. Vol. 6, Laval University, 1952. (Retreived 24th May 2018). Retrieved from https://lebloguedeguyperron.wordpress.com/2016/06/30/130-liste-des-contrats-dengagement-pour-la-nouvelle-france-releves-a-la-rochelle-entre-1634-et-1679/
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dromedary
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) DAVID MALCOLM 1847. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1847DavidMalcolm.htm
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to Lyttelton 1858-84 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/new_zealand_assisted.pdf
Force Z Survivors HMS Dorsetshire Crew List, (Retrieved 2018, February 13th), https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listdorsetshirecrew.html