Gorrie Surname History

Origins Available:
Scotland

The ancestors of the Gorrie family come from the ancient Scottish kingdom of Dalriada. The family name comes from the personal name Goraidh, an Old Norse forename. The Gaelic form of the name was Mac Goraidh, which means son of Goraidh. or son of Godfrey.

Early Origins of the Gorrie family

The surname Gorrie was first found in on the Isle of Skye, where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the early census rolls taken by the early Kings of Britain to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.

Early History of the Gorrie family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gorrie research. Another 103 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1380 and 1600 are included under the topic Early Gorrie History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gorrie Spelling Variations

Historical recordings of the name Gorrie include many spelling variations. They are the result of repeated translations of the name from Gaelic to English and inconsistencies in spelling rules. They include MacGorrie, MacGorry, MacGory, MacGorey and others.

Early Notables of the Gorrie family

More information is included under the topic Early Gorrie Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gorrie migration to the United States +

Dalriadan families proliferated in North America. Their descendants still populate many communities in the eastern parts of both the United States and Canada. Some settled in Canada as United Empire Loyalists, in the wake of the American War of Independence. Families on both sides of the border have recovered much of their heritage in the 20th century through Clan societies and highland games. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Gorrie or a variant listed above:

Gorrie Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Gorrie, aged 30, who landed in North Carolina in 1812 [1]
William Gorrie, who landed in Charleston, South Carolina in 1824 [1]

Gorrie migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Gorrie Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Robert Gorrie, Scottish convict who was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Barossa" on 27th August 1841, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [2]

Gorrie 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:

Gorrie Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

John Gorrie, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1840
William Gorrie, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1840
James Gorrie, aged 45, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Phoebe Dunbar" between 1841 and 1850
Helen Gorrie, aged 32, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Phoebe Dunbar" between 1841 and 1850
James Gorrie, aged 13, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Phoebe Dunbar" between 1841 and 1850
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Gorrie (post 1700) +

Robert Gorrie (b. 1987), American actor, known for his work on One Life to Live (2013), The Preppie Connection (2015) and License Plates (2016)
John Gorrie (1802-1855), Scottish-born, American physician, scientist, inventor, and humanitarian, eponym of the John Gorrie State Museum, Florida
Dave Gorrie (1930-2015), American head baseball coach at the University of California, Santa Barbara from 1960 to 1977
Donald Cameron Easterbrook Gorrie (1933-2012), Scottish Liberal Democrat politician, Member of the Scottish Parliament for Central Scotland (1999-2007)
Alan Edward Gorrie (b. 1946), Scottish musician, founding member of the Average White Band
Peter C Gorrie (1918-1942), Australian airman killed during a bombing raid, eponym of Gorrie Airfield, a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) airfield in the Northern Territory during World War II
John Gorrie (b. 1932), English BAFTA Award winning director and screenwriter, known for Private Lives (1976), Cause célèbre (1987) and Edward the King (1975)

The Gorrie Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Per mare per terras
Motto Translation: By sea and by land.

Citations +

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