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| Origins Available: |
| | Germany |
The Duerr family name first began to be used in the German state of Bavaria. After the 12th century, as hereditary surnames began to be adopted, names that were derived from locations became particularly common. The family name Duerr is a local surname. Originally denoting the proprietorship of an estate or influence within a village, the German preposition von, which means from or of, used with local names, was taken as a mark of aristocracy. The surname Duerr was given to someone who lived on a dry, barren land. The name Duerr is derived from the Old German word durri and the German word dürre, which mean barren or infertile.
The surname Duerr was first found in Franconia, where the name Duerer could be considered to make a great early contribution to the feudal society which became the backbone of early development of Europe. The name became prominent in local affairs and branched into many houses which played important roles in the tribal and national conflicts, each group seeking power and status in an ever changing territorial profile.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Duerr research. Another 179 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1471, 1528, 1690, 1784 and 1856 are included under the topic Early Duerr History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Many cultural groups lived in the German states in medieval times. Each had its own dialect and traditions, and unique variations of popular names. Low German, which is similar to contemporary Dutch, was spoken in Westphalia. German names are characterized by additions such as regional suffixes and phrases that tell something about the origin or background of its original bearer. Further contributing to the variation in German names was the fact that there were no spelling rules in medieval times: scribes recorded names according to their sound. The recorded spelling variations of Duerr include Durr, Duerer, Duere, Duerr, Duer, Dur, Durre, Duerre, Dueren, Duerman and many more.
Prominent among members of the name Duerr in this period include
In the United States, the name Duerr is the 12,853rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1
The great European flow of migration to North America, which began in the middle of the 17th century and continued into the 20th century, was particularly attractive to those from Bavaria who wished to escape either poverty or religious persecution. For many Bavarian tenant farmers, the chance to own their own land was a major incentive. So the widespread colonization of the United States began in 1650, when many immigrants from Germany settled in pockets in Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, Illinois, and California. In Canada, German settlement centered in Ontario and the prairie provinces. Among those of this surname listed in various historical records were: