Scurlock History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

When the Strongbownian's arrived in Ireland there was already a system for creating patronymic names in place. Therefore, the native population regarded many of the Anglo-Norman naming practices that these settlers were accustomed to as rather unusual. Despite their differences, the two different systems eventually merged together rather insidiously. The Strongbownians, when they arrived, displayed a preference for used nickname surnames. Two of the most prevalent forms were oath nicknames and imperative names. Oath names often carried blessings or were formed from habitual expressions. Imperative names, formed from a verb added to a noun or an adverb, metaphorically described the bearer's occupations. The nick name surname Scurlock is derived from a nickname for a short-haired person. However, at least one expert holds the alternative theory that the surname Scurlock denotes a fair-haired person. According to this theory, the name is derived from the words "scir," which means "bright," and "locc," which means "hair." The Gaelic form of the name Scurlock is Scurlóg.

Early Origins of the Scurlock family

The surname Scurlock was first found in Cheshire, where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the early census rolls taken by the early Kings of Britain to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.

Early History of the Scurlock family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Scurlock research. Another 118 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1595, 1612, 1641, 1646, 1678, 1689, 1691, 1707 and 1761 are included under the topic Early Scurlock History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Scurlock Spelling Variations

Names were simply spelled as they sounded by medieval scribes and church officials. Therefore, during the lifetime of a single person, his name was often spelt in many different ways, explaining the many spelling variations encountered while researching the name Scurlock. Some of these variations included: Sherlock, Scurlock, Scurlog, Shylock, Shyrlock, Sherlocke, Cherlock, Sharlock, Sharloch, Sherloch, Shyrloch, Charlock, Charloch, Sharlocke, Sharloche and many more.

Early Notables of the Scurlock family

Notable amongst the family up to this time was Paul Sherlock (1595-1646), an Irish Jesuit, born at or near Waterford; Richard Sherlock (1612-1689), an English divine, born at Oxton, a township in the Cheshire peninsula of Wirral...
Another 37 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Scurlock Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Scurlock Ranking

In the United States, the name Scurlock is the 10,984^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Scurlock family

In the mid-19th century, Ireland experienced one of the worst periods in its entire history. During this decade in order to ease the pressure of the soil, which was actually depleted by the effects of the previous years' grain crops, landowners forced tenant farmers and peasants onto tiny plots of land that barely provided the basic sustenance a family required. Conditions were worsened, though, by the population of the country, which was growing fast to roughly eight million. So when the Great Potato Famine of the mid-1840s hit, starvation and diseases decimated the population. Thousands of Irish families left the country for British North America and the United States. The new immigrants were often accommodated either in the opening western frontiers or as cheap unskilled labor in the established centers. In early passenger and immigration lists there are many immigrants bearing the name Scurlock: John Sherlock settled in St. Christopher in 1635; he and his wife Elizabeth later settled in Virginia in the same year; John Sherlocke settled in Virginia in 1643.

Contemporary Notables of the name Scurlock (post 1700) +

Kliph Scurlock (b. 1973), American musician
James Duncan Scurlock (b. 1971), American director, producer, writer and financial adviser
Eddy Clark Scurlock (1905-1988), American oil industry tycoon, entrepreneur, millionaire and philanthropist
Dr. Susan Scurlock M.B.E., British Founder and Chief Executive Officer for Primary Engineer, was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire on 29th December 2018 for services to Education and to Engineering 2

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62507, 28 December 2018 | London Gazette, The Gazette, Dec. 2018, www.thegazette.co.uk/honours-lists