Curden History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Of all the Anglo-Saxon names to come from Britain, Curden is one of the most ancient. The name is a result of the original family having lived in the township of Cuerden, which is in the parish of Leyland in the county of Lancashire. The surname Curden belongs to the large category of Anglo-Saxon habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

The Kearton variant hails from the hamlet so named in the Yorkshire Dales, North Yorkshire. 1 This place dates back to the 13th century when it was known as Karretan and possibly meant "farmstead of a man called Kaerir," a Viking personal name. 2

Early Origins of the Curden family

The surname Curden was first found in Lancashire in the village and civil parish of Cuerden in the Borough of Chorley. The village has remained small over the years as a recent census showed only 77 people living there. The place name derives its name from the Welsh word cerdin.

Roger the Poitevin (Roger de Poitou), born in Normandy originally held the lands shortly after the Conquest. Cuerden Hall is a country mansion built around 1717 on a site of a previous manor home.

Early History of the Curden family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Curden research. Another 44 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1568, 1572, 1581, 1601, 1604, 1608, 1620, 1636, 1642, 1655 and 1702 are included under the topic Early Curden History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Curden Spelling Variations

The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Curden has been spelled many different ways, including Cuerden, Cuerton and others.

Early Notables of the Curden family

Distinguished members of the family include John Cuerden a prominent landholder in 17th century Lancashire. Sir William Courten or Curteene (1572-1636), was an English merchant, the son of William Courten, by his wife Margaret Casiere, and was born in London in 1572. A younger brother, born in 1581, was named Peter. Their father was son of a tailor of Menin and a protestant. After enduring much persecution at the hands of the Spaniards, he escaped to...
Another 76 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Curden Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Curden migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Curdens to arrive in North America:

Curden Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Jo Curden, aged 22, who landed in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Speedwell" 3

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
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)