Show ContentsUre History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Ure family

The surname Ure 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 Ure family

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

Ure Spelling Variations

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

Early Notables of the Ure family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

  • Andrew Ure (1778-1857), was a Scottish chemist, Fellow of the Royal Society. Elizabeth Urrey, daughter of John Urrey of Thorley, Isle of Wight married Richard Lucy (1619-1677), an English landowner an...


United States Ure migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Ure Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • James Ure, who arrived in Boston in 1768
Ure Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Jane Ure, who arrived in America in 1805 [3]
  • Margaret Ure, who arrived in America in 1805 [3]
  • Fleming Ure, aged 31, who landed in New York in 1812 [3]
  • William and Andrew Ure, who arrived in New York in 1820 along with Elizabeth
  • L Ure, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 [3]

Australia Ure migration to Australia +

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

Ure Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. William Ure, (b. 1798), aged 29, Scottish weaver who was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for life for house breaking, transported aboard the "Florentia" on 14th August 1827, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1860 [4]
  • Robert Ure, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Lady Bute" in 1839 [5]
  • Miss Ann Ure, Scottish convict who was convicted in Stirling, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Emma Eugenia" on 16th November 1841, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [6]
  • Mary Ure, aged 19, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1859 aboard the ship "North"

New Zealand Ure 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:

Ure Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • James Ure, aged 27, a brick tile maker, who arrived in Otago aboard the ship "Philip Laing" in 1848
  • Elizabeth Ure, aged 27, who arrived in Otago aboard the ship "Philip Laing" in 1848
  • James Street Ure, aged 7, who arrived in Otago aboard the ship "Philip Laing" in 1848
  • Mr. Jason Ure, Scottish settler travelling from Greenock aboard the ship "Philip Laing" arriving in Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 15th April 1848 [7]
  • Mrs. Ure, Scottish settler travelling from Greenock aboard the ship "Philip Laing" arriving in Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 15th April 1848 [7]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Ure (post 1700) +

  • W. G. Ure, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Nebraska, 1916, 1920 [8]
  • John Ure, American politician, Supervisor of Saginaw Township, Michigan, 1873-74 [8]
  • David Ure (d. 1798), Scottish geologist, born at Glasgow, the son of a weaver in that city
  • Andrew Ure (1778-1857), Scottish chemist and scientific writer, born at Glasgow, professor of chemistry and natural philosophy in the Andersonian University, later Anderson's College, Glasgow
  • James "Midge" Ure OBE (b. 1953), Scottish guitarist, singer, keyboard player, and songwriter, recipient of the Ivor Novello Award for co-writing "Do They Know It's Christmas?"
  • Eileen Mary Ure (1933-1975), Scottish actress of stage and film
  • John Francombe "Ian" Ure (b. 1939), Scottish former footballer
  • Gudrun Ure (b. 1926), Scottish actress, best known for her portrayal of Super Gran
  • Alexander Ure GBE (1853-1928), 1st Baron Strathclyde, Scottish politician and judge
  • Jean Ure (b. 1942), English children's author


The Ure 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. 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)
  4. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/florentia
  5. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) LADY BUTE 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839LadyBute.gif
  6. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emma-eugenia
  7. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  8. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 12) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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