The original Gaelic form of the Irish name O'Durnen was Ó Duirnin or Ó Dornian, possibly derived from the word "dorn," which means "fist." 1
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Early Origins of the O'Durnen family
The surname O'Durnen was first found in County Antrim (Irish: Aontroim) located in the province of Ulster in present day Northern Ireland. The name is also specific to "Ballydurnian in County Antrim, but Durnian is the more usual form in west Ulster." 2
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Early History of the O'Durnen family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our O'Durnen research. Another 164 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1596 and 1700 are included under the topic Early O'Durnen History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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O'Durnen Spelling Variations
The spelling of names in Ireland during the Middle Ages was rarely consistent. This inconsistency was due to the scribes and church officials' attempts to record orally defined names in writing. The common practice of recording names as they sounded resulted in spelling variations such as Durnan, Durnane, Durneen, Durnin, Durnain, Dornan, Dornain and many more.
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Early Notables of the O'Durnen family
More information is included under the topic Early O'Durnen Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Migration of the O'Durnen family
The 19th century saw a great wave of Irish migrating out of their homeland in a great measure due to the oppressive imperial policies of the English government and landowners. Many of these Irish families sailed to North America aboard overcrowded passenger ships. By far, the largest influx of Irish immigrants to North America occurred with Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s. These particular immigrants were instrumental in creation of the United States and Canada as major industrial nations because the many essential elements such as the roadways, canals, bridges, and railways required an enormous quantity of cheap labor, which these poor immigrants provided. Later generations of Irish in these countries also went on to make valuable contributions in such fields as the arts, commerce, politics, and education. Extensive research into immigration and passenger lists has revealed many early immigrants bearing the name O'Durnen: Nicholas Durnan who settled in Virginia in 1734; Charles Durnin settled in Newcastle in Co. Delaware in 1827; John Durnin arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1868.
Ireland
