Dryver History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Dryver

What does the name Dryver mean?

The name Dryver was an occupational name for someone who was a "driver" or "drover" for someone who "drove a herd of cattle, especially to distant markets." 1 2 3

Another source goes into more detail: "driver, the driftman; on Moors the man employed to sweep together the colts and horses and cattle and sheep sent out on the commons, to a centre where the owners may claim them." 4

Early Origins of the Dryver family

The surname Dryver was first found in Cambridgeshire where Alice le Driveres was listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1279. Later, Gilbert le Drivere was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Suffolk in 1283. 5 Both of these entries point to the occupational nature of the name as for the latter, means "Gilbert the Driver."

The Lay Subsidy (Rylands) for Lancashire show William le Dryver, as holding lands there in 1332 and the Writs of Parliament includes entries for John le Drivere and Richard le Drivere, c. 1300. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 lists Johannes Dryver as holding lands at that time. 3

"The name of Driver is well represented in the district of Ely, [Cambridgeshire]. It is also established in Lancashire and Yorkshire. In the 17th century a gentle family of the name resided at Avening, Gloucestershire." 6

Early History of the Dryver family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dryver research. Another 85 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1279, 1332, 1528, 1558, 1563 and 1667 are included under the topic Early Dryver History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dryver Spelling Variations

Endless spelling variations are a prevailing characteristic of Norman surnames. Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules, and the introduction of Norman French added an unfamiliar ingredient to the English linguistic stew. French and Latin, the languages of the court, also influenced spellings. Finally, Medieval scribes generally spelled words according to how they sounded, so one person was often referred to by different spellings in different documents. The name has been spelled Driver, Dryver and others.

Early Notables of the Dryver family

Alice Driver (born c. 1528), an English martyr from around Woodbridge, Suffolk, England, who was arrested, put to an inquisition and burned at the stake in Ipswich for her adherence to...
Another 31 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Dryver Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dryver migration to the United States +

To escape the political and religious persecution within England at the time, many English families left for the various British colonies abroad. The voyage was extremely difficult, though, and the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving. But for those who made it, the trip was most often worth it. Many of the families who arrived went on to make valuable contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families reveals a number of immigrants bearing the name Dryver or a variant listed above:

Dryver Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Dryver, who arrived in Virginia in 1652 7
Giles Dryver, who landed in Virginia in 1656 7

Sources +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Baring-Gould S., Family Names and their Story. London: Seeley, Service & Co. Limited, 1913. Print
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
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)