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Show ContentsKerr History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
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Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

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The well known Kerr surname has long existed in Ireland, and originates from several distinct sources. In County Galway it was an Anglicization of Ó Carra, a patronymic name referring to a descendant of Carra; the word Carra in turn meant "spear." in County Donegal, Kerr was the Anglicized form of Mac Giolla Chathair. Many who bear the Kerr name in Ireland are descendents of emigrants of Scottish or English stock, who brought the name with them. In Ireland, many bearers changed their name over time from Kerrane or Kerr to Carr. In turn the name Carr in Ireland has in some instance morphed into Carey.

Early Origins of the Kerr family

The surname Kerr was first found in Connacht (Irish: Connachta, (land of the) descendants of Conn), where in 1095, the annals of Loch Cé list the death of Muirchertach Ua Cairre, "steward of Cenél Aengusa and royal heir of Oilech.".

Early History of the Kerr family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kerr research. Another 85 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1260, 1779, 1849 and 1866 are included under the topic Early Kerr History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kerr Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Carr, Kerr, O'Carr, O'Carry, MacCarry, Kerrane and many more.

Early Notables of the Kerr family

Another 30 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Kerr Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kerr World Ranking

In the United States, the name Kerr is the 721st most popular surname with an estimated 39,792 people with that name. 1 However, in Canada, the name Kerr is ranked the 249th most popular surname with an estimated 16,291 people with that name. 2 And in Australia, the name Kerr is the 166th popular surname with an estimated 18,721 people with that name. 3 New Zealand ranks Kerr as 111st with 3,896 people. 4 The United Kingdom ranks Kerr as 188th with 29,848 people. 5

United States Kerr migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Kerr Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Johan Kerr, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1728 6
  • Christian Kerr, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1733 6
  • Friederich Kerr, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1742 6
  • Barnard Kerr, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1745 6
  • Samuel Kerr, who landed in South Carolina in 1772 6
Kerr Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Thomas Kerr, who landed in Somerset County, Pennsylvania in 1802 6
  • Hannah Kerr, aged 25, who landed in New York, NY in 1803 6
  • Josiah Kerr, aged 28, who arrived in New York, NY in 1804 6
  • Mark Kerr, who landed in America in 1805 6
  • Christopher Kerr, who arrived in America in 1805 6
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Kerr Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Allan Napier Kerr, who arrived in Wisconsin in 1908 6

Canada Kerr migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Kerr Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • William Kerr of St. John's, Newfoundland in the late 1700's 7
  • Dr. Kerr Robert U.E. (b. 1755) born in Scotland, United Kingdom from New York, USA who arrived in Quebec c. 1779, moving are required before settling in Fredericksburgh, Cataraqui township by 1789 he served in the 2nd Battalion of the Kings Royal Rangers of New York before being captured in 1777, escaping in 1779 he was a Assistant Surgeon, he married Elizabeth Brant Johnson in 1783 having 5 children, he died in 1824 8
  • Capt. Kerr James U.E. (b. 1754) who settled in Parr Town [Saint John], New Brunswick c. 1784 he served in the Queens Rangers, died in 1830 in Amherst, Nova Scotia 8
  • Mr. Kerr James U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 8
Kerr Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • John Campbell Kerr, aged 22, a saddler, who arrived in Quebec aboard the ship "Atlas" in 1815
  • John Kerr, who arrived in Canada in 1815
  • John Kerr, aged 27, a farmer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the brig "William" from Cork, Ireland
  • Bess Kerr, aged 13, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the brig "Betsy Heron" from Belfast, Ireland
  • Peggy Kerr, aged 19, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the brig "Betsy Heron" from Belfast, Ireland
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Australia Kerr migration to Australia +

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

Kerr Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Warren Kerr, (b. 1782), aged 34, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for life for stealing, transported aboard the "Elizabeth" in May 1816, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
  • Mr. James Kerr, (b. 1770), aged 50, Irish labourer who was convicted in Antrim, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Dorothy" on 5th May 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1835 10
  • Henry Kerr, Scottish convict from Edinburgh, who was transported aboard the "Agamemnon" on April 22, 1820, settling in New South Wales, Australia 11
  • Mr. William Kerr, Scottish convict who was convicted in Edinburgh, Scotland for 14 years, transported aboard the "England"on 28th April 1826, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 12
  • Mr. Duncan Kerr, (Keir), Scottish convict who was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for life, transported aboard the "Countess of Harcourt" on 29th April 1828, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 13
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Kerr 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:

Kerr Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Alexander Kerr, aged 14, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Fifeshire" in 1842 14
  • John Kerr, aged 41, a farmer, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Fifeshire" in 1842 14
  • Janet Kerr, aged 42, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Fifeshire" in 1842 14
  • James Kerr, aged 20, a farmer, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Fifeshire" in 1842 14
  • David Kerr, aged 18, a farmer, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Fifeshire" in 1842 14
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

West Indies Kerr 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. 15
Kerr Settlers in West Indies in the 18th Century
  • David Kerr, who arrived in Jamaica in 1775

Contemporary Notables of the name Kerr (post 1700) +

  • Floyd Kerr (1946-2023), American collegiate and professional basketball player and athletic administrator from Oxford, Mississippi
  • Anita Kerr (1927-2022), stage name of Anita Jean Grilli, an American singer, arranger, composer, conductor, pianist, and music producer
  • John Michael Kerr (1950-2016), American author, best known for his non fiction book A Most Dangerous Method
  • Brigadier-General Francis Rusher Kerr (1890-1975), American Assistant Administrator of Veteran Affairs (1946) 16
  • Malcolm Kerr (1931-1984), American academic
  • Cristie Kerr (b. 1977), American LPGA professional golfer
  • Walter Francis Kerr (1913-1996), American writer and Broadway theater critic awarded the 1978 Pulitzer Prize for Criticism
  • Deborah Kerr CBE (1921-2007), Scottish-born, American movie actress perhaps best known for her role opposite Yul Brynner in "The King and I" for which she received a Golden Globe Award
  • Donald Maclean Kerr Jr. (b. 1939), American physicist, director of Los Alamos National Laboratory from 1979-1985, and director of FBI Laboratory from 1997
  • Michael "Mick" Kerr (1934-2021), Northern Irish Gaelic football player, manager and administrator
  • ... (Another 21 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Air New Zealand Flight 901
  • Mr. Geoffrey Ian Hamilton Kerr (1958-1979), New Zealander passenger, from Wanganui, North Island, New Zealand aboard the Air New Zealand Flight 901 for an Antarctic sightseeing flight when it flew into Mount Erebus; he died in the crash 17
  • Mr. Francis Ronald Kerr (1930-1979), New Zealander passenger, from New Lynn, Auckland, New Zealand aboard the Air New Zealand Flight 901 for an Antarctic sightseeing flight when it flew into Mount Erebus; he died in the crash 17
  • Mrs. Betty Kerr (d. 1979), New Zealander passenger, from New Lynn, Auckland, New Zealand aboard the Air New Zealand Flight 901 for an Antarctic sightseeing flight when it flew into Mount Erebus; she died in the crash 17
Bradford City stadium fire
  • Walter Kerr (1909-1985), from Bradford who attended the Bradford City and Lincoln City Third Division match on 11th May 1985 when the Bradford City stadium fire occurred and he died in the fire
Empress of Ireland
  • Mr. Peter Kerr (1875-1914), Scottish Third Class Passenger from Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 18
  • Miss Sarah Kerr (1901-1914), Scottish Third Class Passenger from Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 18
  • Mrs. Mary Currie Kerr (1875-1914), née Russell Scottish Third Class Passenger from Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 18
  • Master George Kerr (1906-1914), Scottish Third Class Passenger from Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 18
  • Miss Maggie Kerr (1902-1914), Scottish Third Class Passenger from Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 18
  • ... (Another 2 entries are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
HMS Dorsetshire
  • George Kerr (d. 1945), British Ordinary Seaman aboard the HMS Dorsetshire when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he died in the sinking 19
HMS Hood
  • Mr. Raymond W Kerr (b. 1923), English Boy 1st Class serving for the Royal Navy from Wallsend, Northumberland, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 20
  • Mr. Alexander Kerr (b. 1919), English Engine Room Artificer 5th Class serving for the Royal Navy from Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 20
HMS Repulse
  • Mr. David Kerr, British Stoker 1st Class, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 21
  • Mr. Hugh Kerr, British Able Bodied Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and died in the sinking 21
  • Mr. Robert G Kerr, British Ordinary Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 21
HMS Royal Oak
  • Richard J. Kerr, British Petty Officer with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he survived the sinking 22
North Sea Flood
  • James Kerr, British traveler aboard the ferry "Princess Victoria" who survived the North Sea Flood, a major storm surge in 1953
  • Wesley Kerr, British worker aboard the ferry "Princess Victoria" killed in the North Sea Flood, a major storm surge in 1953
RMS Titanic
  • Mr. Thomas Russell Kerr (d. 1912), aged 26, English Fireman/Stoker from Southampton, Hampshire who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 23
St. Francis Dam
  • Mr. Earl Dean Kerr, American resident in Santa Clarita killed when the St. Francis Dam failed and flooded the area in 1928

The Kerr 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: Fida Clavo
Motto Translation: Sure and Nail

Suggested Readings for the name Kerr +

  • Christian Frederick Kerr by Elaine Ford Eaton.
  • Heasley, Kerr, Smith, Cook by Alice Heasley Dwight.
  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. "Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
  3. "Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
  4. "Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
  5. "UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
  6. 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)
  7. Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
  8. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  9. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 1st March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth
  10. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dorothy
  11. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Agamemnon voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1820 with 179 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/agamemnon/1820
  12. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/england
  13. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 19th April 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/countess-of-harcourt
  14. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 4th November 2011). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  15. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  16. Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, March 30) Francis Kerr. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Kerr/Francis_Rusher/USA.html
  17. Mount Erebus, Memorial, Roll of Remembrance (Retrieved 2018, February 21st). Retrieved from http://www.erebus.co.nz/memorialandawards/rollofremembrance.aspx
  18. Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
  19. Force Z Survivors HMS Dorsetshire Crew List, (Retrieved 2018, February 13th), https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listdorsetshirecrew.html
  20. H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm
  21. HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html
  22. Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html
  23. Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html
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