Show ContentsDuryea History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Duryea began among the ancestors of the people of an ancient Scottish tribe called the Picts. It was a name for a person who held the office of Dereth.

Early Origins of the Duryea family

The surname Duryea was first found in Fife, where "Durie, [is] an estate in the parish of Scoonie." 1

Some of the first records of the family include: "Duncan de Durry witnessed a charter by Malise, earl of Strathem, c. 1258-1271. John Dury [who] was cleric in St. Andrews diocese, 1464, and Walter Doray [who] was one of the brethren of the Priory of Cupar, 1500. Mr. Andrew Dure was presented to the vicarage of Newtyle, 1519, George Dury witnessed a presentation in St. Andrews, 1526, and Joneta Durye had sasine of lands in Ayrshire, 1564. " 2

Early History of the Duryea family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Duryea research. Another 302 words (22 lines of text) covering the years 1260, 1296, 1464, 1496, 1519, 1526, 1527, 1530, 1537, 1555, 1558, 1561, 1564, 1587, 1596, 1600, 1616, 1650 and 1680 are included under the topic Early Duryea History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Duryea Spelling Variations

Although Medieval Scotland lacked a basic set of spelling rules, which meant that scribes recorded names according to their sounds it was not uncommon for the names of a father and son to be recorded differently. As a result, there are many spelling variations of Scottish single names. Duryea has been written Durie, Durray, Doray, Dorie, Durrie and others.

Early Notables of the Duryea family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was Robert Durie (1555-1616), a Scottish Presbyterian minister; and his son, John Dury (1596-1680), a Scottish Calvinist minister and intellectual. He made efforts to re-unite the Calvinist and Lutheran wings of Protestantism.Andrew Durie (d. 1558), was Bishop of Galloway and Abbot of Melrose, the son of John Durie of Durie in Fife, and brother to George Durie. George Durie (1496-1561), was Abbot of Dunfermline and Archdeacon of St. Andrews. "From 1527 till 1530 he acted as judge and executor of the monastery of Arbroath. During...
Another 92 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Duryea Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Duryea Ranking

In the United States, the name Duryea is the 14,645th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3

Ireland Migration of the Duryea family to Ireland

Some of the Duryea 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.


United States Duryea migration to the United States +

Thousands of Scots left their home country to travel to Ireland or Australia, or to cross the Atlantic for the North American colonies. The difficult crossing was an enormous hurdle, but those who survived found freedom and opportunity in ample measure. Some Scots even fought for their freedom in the American War of Independence. This century, their ancestors have become aware of the illustrious history of the Scots in North America and at home through Clan societies and other organizations. Passenger and immigration lists show many early and influential immigrants bearing the name Duryea:

Duryea Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Joost Duryea, who landed in America in 1675 4

Australia Duryea migration to Australia +

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

Duryea Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • James Duryea, aged 33, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Oriental,"

Contemporary Notables of the name Duryea (post 1700) +

  • James Newton "Jesse" Duryea (1859-1942), American Major League Baseball pitcher from 1889 to 1893
  • Perry Belmont Duryea Jr. (1921-2004), American politician
  • Peter Duryea (1939-2013), American actor, best known for appearing in the original pilot episode of Star Trek: The Original Series
  • Dan Duryea (1907-1968), American actor, known for roles in film, stage and television
  • Herman L. B. Duryea (1862-1916), American Thoroughbred race horse owner and breeder
  • Townsend Duryea (1823-1888), American-born, Australian photographer
  • James Frank Duryea (1869-1967), American co-founder of the Duryea Motor Wagon Company
  • Charles Edgar Duryea (1861-1938), American engineer of the first-ever working American gasoline-powered car, co-founder of Duryea Motor Wagon Company in 1895
  • John A. Duryea, American politician, Prohibition Candidate for New York State Senate 1st District, 1912; Prohibition Candidate for U.S. Representative from New York 1st District, 1916 5
  • Harmanus B. Duryea, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Kings County 3rd District, 1858-59 5
  • ... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. 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)
  3. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  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)
  5. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 4) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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