Dry History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
This name is a nickname for someone who is 'enduring, patient', 'doughty, fierce', 'slow, tedious' from the Middle English word "dre" or "dregh." 1 Another source claims the name means 'crafty, cunning' from the same Middle English word. 2
Early Origins of the Dry family
The surname Dry was first found in Norfolk where the Pipe Rolls of 1219 listed Roger Drie as holding lands there at that time. Later records show Geoffrey Drye in 1292 and the Feet of Fines for Essex list William Drye there in 1321. The Feet of Fines for Cambridgeshire includes an entry for Walter Drye in 1339. 1
Early History of the Dry family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dry research. Another 112 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1321, 1455, 1487 and 1858 are included under the topic Early Dry History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Dry Spelling Variations
Spelling variations of this family name include: Dry, Drey, Drye, Dray, Dreigh, Drie, Dreye and others.
Early Notables of the Dry family
Distinguished members of the family include
Dry Ranking
In the United States, the name Dry is the 14,923rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3
Dry migration to the United States +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Dry Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- William Dry, who arrived in Virginia in 1623 4
- John Dry, who settled in Virginia in 1663
- John Dry, who landed in Virginia in 1664 4
- Catharine Dry, who settled in Maryland in 1669
Dry Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Johann Jacob Dry, who settled in America in 1732
- Hans Georg Dry, who settled in America in 1732
Dry Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- George Dry, who settled in New Orleans in 1862
Dry migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Dry Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Mr. William Dry, English convict who was convicted in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Barossa" on 27th August 1841, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5
Dry 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:
Dry Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
- Mr. Dry, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Northfleet" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand, Via Wellington and Lyttleton in February 1854 6
- Mrs. Dry, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Northfleet" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand, Via Wellington and Lyttleton in February 1854 6
Dry migration to West Indies +
The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association.
7Dry Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
- Augustin Dry, who settled in Barbados in 1679
Contemporary Notables of the name Dry (post 1700) +
- Richard Dry, English Mayor of Oxford England, the son of William Dry, a tailor of St Peter-in-the-East, and Mary Higgins
Historic Events for the Dry family +
SS Atlantic
- Mr. Henry Dry, British crew member who was aboard the ship "SS Atlantic" when it struck rocks off Nova Scotia in 1873, survived the sinking
Citations +
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- 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)
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barossa
- New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies