Contents [hide]

Durán History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Durán History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France
Italy
Scotland
Spain

The distinguished surname Durán was first brought to England in the wake of the Norman Conquest of 1066. The name is patronymic in origin, signifying "the son of Durant," an Old French personal name. Looking at records from this time, we found Geoffry, Roger and Henry Durant who claimed descent from Normandy c. 1180-95 1 while another census in 1198, lists Aceline, Ralph, Richard, and Robert Durant. 2

Early Origins of the Durán family

The surname Durán was first found in Warwickshire, Worcestershire, and Shropshire at Tong, a parish, in the union of Shiffnall, Shiffnall division of the hundred of Brimstree. "Tong Castle, the seat of the family of Durant, a magnificent mansion remodelled in the last century, is crowned with numerous turrets, pinnacles, and eight lofty domes, producing a striking effect: it contains many valuable pictures and cabinets." 3

The Domesday Book of 1086 has the first record of the family. Durandus, the Latin form of the name in use at that time was registered in Winton, Hampshire as holding lands there at that time. 4

Another branch of the family were found at Wallingswells in the West Riding of Yorkshire. "In excavating near the house [of Sir Thomas Woolaston White], in 1829, several stone coffins were found, and amongst them that of Dame Margery Dourant, second abbess of the convent, who died in the reign of Richard I ([1189-1199)]." 3

And yet another branch of the family was found in Cornwall. "The manor of Lanestock, which is partly in the parish [of St. Austell], and partly in Tywardreath, has of late years passed under the same title as Trenance Austell. This was anciently in the family of Durant, from whom it passed into that of the Arundells of Trerice in Newlyn. The manor of Thorlebear [in the parish of Launcells, Cornwall] was formerly the property of the Durants, by whose heiress it was carried in marriage to the Arundells of Trerice." 5

Early History of the Durán family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Durán research. Another 111 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1140, 1296, 1564, 1578, 1631, 1644, 1660 and 1715 are included under the topic Early Durán History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Durán Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Durand, Durant, Durande, Durrane, Dant, Dante and many more.

Early Notables of the Durán family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Thomas Drant (d. 1578?), English divine and poet, born at Hagworthingham in Lincolnshire, son of Thomas Drant. "On the occasion of Queen Elizabeth's visit to the university in August 1564 he composed copies of English, Latin, and Greek verses, which he presented to her majesty. " 6 John Durnat...
Another 55 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Durán Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Durán Ranking

In the United States, the name Durán is the 601^st most popular surname with an estimated 49,740 people with that name. 7 However, in France, the name Durán is ranked the 1,322^nd most popular surname with an estimated 4,288 people with that name. 8

Durán migration to the United States +

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Durán name or one of its variants:

Durán Settlers in United States in the 16th Century

Diego Durán, who settled in America in 1510
Rodrigo Durán, who arrived in Cartagena in 1534
Juan Durán, who arrived in Mexico in 1563
Juan Duran, who arrived in Peru in 1565
Diego Durán, who settled in Mexico and wrote a "History of the Indies of New Spain" based on Mexican legends. He died in Mexico in 1588

Durán Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Duran, who arrived in Virginia in 1654 9

Durán Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Charles Duran, who arrived in New Jersey in 1738-1739 9
Charles Duran, who lived in New Jersey from 1738-1739
Joseph Duran, who arrived in South Carolina in 1755 9
Paul Duran, who arrived in South Carolina in 1755 9
Gregorio Durán, who arrived in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1778 with his wife Ana

Durán Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Salvador Duran, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1802 9
Jose Maria Duran, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1804 9
Tiburcio Duran, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1809 9
Diego Duran, who landed in America in 1810 9
Garcia Duran, who arrived in America in 1812 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Durán 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. 10

Durán Settlers in West Indies in the 16th Century

Diego Durán, who arrived in the Dominican Republic in 1535

Durán Settlers in West Indies in the 19th Century

Andres Duran, who landed in Dominican Republic in 1836 9

Contemporary Notables of the name Durán (post 1700) +

Dr. Manuel Durán, American university professor
Willis H. Duran, American Republican politician, Mayor of Westbrook, Maine, 1920 11
Nicholas Duran, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from California, 2008 11
Katherine Duran, American Democratic Party politician, Presidential Elector for New Mexico, 2012 11
Juan J. Duran, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New Mexico, 1916 11
John J. Duran, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 1996, 2008 11
Ingrid Duran, American Democratic Party politician, Member, Platform Committee, Democratic National Convention, 2008 11
Efrain A. Duran, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Texas, 1964 11
Crisanta Duran, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Colorado, 2008 11
Apolonio Duran, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New Mexico, 1948 11
... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 28) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html