Darrah History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

The Pictish clans of ancient Scotland were the ancestors of first people to use the name Darrah. The name was found in Darroch in Stirlinghsire. The name could also be derived a form of the lost name MacDara which meant son of oak and others believe the name is from Dath riabhach. Literally, the name comes from the Gaelic "darach" which means "oak tree."

Early Origins of the Darrah family

The surname Darrah was first found in Stirlingshire, where one of the first records of the family was John Darach who was bailie of Stirling in 1406. "John Darach de Cruce mentioned in 1445 may be John Darraugh, commissioner for the burgh of Stirling in 1450. Jonete Daroch is in record in 1458, and Mariote Darrauch appears as nurse of the Lady Margaret, second daughter of James II., 1462." 1

Early History of the Darrah family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Darrah research. Another 396 words (28 lines of text) covering the years 1301, 1406, 1462, 1471, 1477, 1482, 1500, 1505, 1522, 1525, 1545, 1550, 1574, 1608, 1620, 1629, 1632, 1684, 1784 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Darrah History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Darrah Spelling Variations

In the Middle ages, spelling and translation were not yet regulated by any general rules. spelling variations in names were common even among members of one family unit. Darrah has appeared Darroch, Darrow, Darrach, Daroch, Darach, Darragh, Darrogh, Darrioch, Darraugh, Darrough and many more.

Early Notables of the Darrah family

Another 34 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Darrah Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Darrah Ranking

In the United States, the name Darrah is the 10,106^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2

Migration of the Darrah family to Ireland

Some of the Darrah family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 58 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Darrah migration to the United States +

Faced by this persecution and the generally unstable political climate of those days, many Scots chose to leave their homeland for Ireland, Australia, and North America in search of greater opportunity and freedom. The colonies across the Atlantic were the most popular choice, but a passage there was neither cheap nor easily suffered. Passengers arrived sick and poor, but those who made it intact often found land and more tolerant societies in which to live. These brave settlers formed the backbone of the burgeoning nations of Canada and the United States. It is only this century that the ancestors of these families have begun to recover their collective identity through the patriotic highland games and Clan societies that have sprung up throughout North America. Research into early immigration and passenger lists revealed many immigrants bearing the name Darrah:

Darrah Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Robert Darrah, who arrived in New England in 1738 3

Darrah Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James Darrah, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1838 3
John Darrah, aged 28, who landed in America from Antrim, in 1893

Darrah Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

William Darrah, aged 26, who landed in America from Ireland, in 1907
Mrs. B. W. Darrah, who immigrated to the United States, in 1908
Thomas W. Darrah, aged 35, who landed in America, in 1908
William Darrah, aged 23, who settled in America from Cummingstown, Ireland, in 1911
Charles Darrah, aged 53, who immigrated to the United States from Cheadle, England, in 1920
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Darrah 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:

Darrah Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

A. Darrah, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "British King" in 1883

Contemporary Notables of the name Darrah (post 1700) +

Laura Darrah, American Assistant Director at the Western Michigan University
William Lindsey "Bill" Darrah (1876-1920), American sheep rancher and stonemason known for his construction of lava rock water tanks in Idaho
Lydia Barrington Darrah (1728-1789), American woman said to have crossed British lines during the British occupation of Philadelphia, during the American Revolutionary War, and gave information to George Washington about the pending British attack
John W. Darrah (b. 1938), United States federal judge from Chicago, Illinois
Captain Charles John Darrah, Canadian Royal Engineer officer awarded the Crimean Campaign medal with Sebastopol bar, Turkish Crimean Campaign medal and the Abyssinian Campaign medal
William C. Darrah, Canadian Assistant Professor in the Department of Anesthesia a the University of Toronto
James D. "Jim" Darrah (d. 2014), English actor, known for The Getaway (2002), Buying Porn (2007) and Fool Britannia (2012)
William Darrah Kelley (1814-1890), American Republican politician, State Court Judge in Pennsylvania, 1846; U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania 4th District, 1861-90; Candidate for Republican nomination for Vice President, 1868 4

Citations +

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)
"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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 13) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html