Durnan
Encyclopedia
Durnan is an Irish
Celtic surname
. The original Gaelic
form was written as Ó Duirnín or Ó Dornáin, possibly derived from the word dorn, which means fist.
According to tracit.com, the Durnan family can trace their ancestors back to the ancient territories of Ireland between the 11th and 12th centuries, first appearing in ancient medieval records in Antrim
. In Britain
, the largest concentrations of people with this surname are around Argyll
in Scotland
and North West England
.
New world
settlers include Nicholas Durnan who settled in Virginia
in 1734; Charles Durnin, who settled in Newcastle in Delaware County, Pennsylvania
, in 1827; John Durnin
arrived in the city of Philadelphia
, Pennsylvania
in 1868.
The Durnan crest
is a blue demi antelope
; the coat of arms
features a blue shield, with a silver chevron between three silver antelopes.
Regarding the Durnin variation, a story passed down is that Stephen arrived in America during the Irish potato famine with a brother and that Stephen took the vowel A and the brother took the vowel I. There is a tombstone near the one for Stephen and Bridget that is shared and on it contains both the A and I variations of the name.
The earliest Durnans known are the brothers Stephen (1833–1888) and Charles (1835–1881) they are believed to have had a sister married to a British soldier.
It is also believed that the two brothers migrated to the United States (cir 1862) since their sister had inherited the family estate due to the restrictive English inheritance laws.
Family tradition says they were from the town of Armagh in the county of Armagh in Ireland. Their parents are believed to have been Thomas Durnan and Kary McGan. Stephan and Charles emigrated from the port of Killybegs, County Donegal, Ireland.
Charles' wife Ellen and their son Stephen accompanied them to the U.S., stopping in or near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
where Thomas and Margaret Durnan lived with their 9 children.
It is believed that Stephen and Charles entered the U.S. through the Port of Boston Massachusetts, although this cannot be confirmed as the records were destroyed by fire in 1894.
Although the record and names of their children, taken from the will of Stephen Durnan dated July 7, 1888 shows the 12 children listed, at the gravesite in Immaculate Conception Cemetery, Fairbank, Iowa.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
Celtic surname
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
. The original Gaelic
Goidelic languages
The Goidelic languages or Gaelic languages are one of the two branches of the Insular Celtic languages, the other consisting of the Brythonic languages. Goidelic languages historically formed a dialect continuum stretching from the south of Ireland through the Isle of Man to the north of Scotland...
form was written as Ó Duirnín or Ó Dornáin, possibly derived from the word dorn, which means fist.
According to tracit.com, the Durnan family can trace their ancestors back to the ancient territories of Ireland between the 11th and 12th centuries, first appearing in ancient medieval records in Antrim
Antrim, County Antrim
Antrim is a town in County Antrim in the northeast of Northern Ireland, on the banks of the Six Mile Water, half a mile north-east of Lough Neagh. It had a population of 20,001 people in the 2001 Census. The town is the administrative centre of Antrim Borough Council...
. In Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, the largest concentrations of people with this surname are around Argyll
Argyll
Argyll , archaically Argyle , is a region of western Scotland corresponding with most of the part of ancient Dál Riata that was located on the island of Great Britain, and in a historical context can be used to mean the entire western coast between the Mull of Kintyre and Cape Wrath...
in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and North West England
North West England
North West England, informally known as The North West, is one of the nine official regions of England.North West England had a 2006 estimated population of 6,853,201 the third most populated region after London and the South East...
.
New world
New World
The New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...
settlers include Nicholas Durnan who settled in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
in 1734; Charles Durnin, who settled in Newcastle in Delaware County, Pennsylvania
Delaware County, Pennsylvania
Delaware County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 558,979, making it Pennsylvania's fifth most populous county, behind Philadelphia, Allegheny, Montgomery, and Bucks counties....
, in 1827; John Durnin
John Durnin
John Paul Durnin is an English footballer, now retired, who scored 100 goals in 475 league appearances over a career spanning close to two decades....
arrived in the city of Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
in 1868.
The Durnan crest
Crest (heraldry)
A crest is a component of an heraldic display, so called because it stands on top of a helmet, as the crest of a jay stands on the bird's head....
is a blue demi antelope
Antelope
Antelope is a term referring to many even-toed ungulate species indigenous to various regions in Africa and Eurasia. Antelopes comprise a miscellaneous group within the family Bovidae, encompassing those old-world species that are neither cattle, sheep, buffalo, bison, nor goats...
; the coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
features a blue shield, with a silver chevron between three silver antelopes.
Durnans in the United States
The greatest concentrations of Durnans found today in the U.S. are located in Iowa and the Great Northwestern areas of Washington and Oregon. Durnans are found to lesser amounts in the Southwest, such as in and around Globe and Mesa, Arizona. There are some found in Upson county, Georgia. Many Durnans call parts of Canada home. Many Durnans in the U.S. can trace their roots back to a Stephen and Bridget Durnan. Stephen and Bridget are buried at Fairbank, Iowa. Many of their 14 children spread across the country and into Canada, most notably, two brothers, Ed and Bill, who left their boarding school in Chicago and followed the threshing crews out towards the Great Northwest. Many of the Durnans in Iowa are descended from Stephen and Bridget's son Charles who lived and farmed near Fairbank. His son Leo went on to have 19 children and these children have spread to Arizona, Illinois, and Georgia, as well as staying in Iowa. Thomas Durnan, Stephen's son, farmed near Oran for many years and is the father of Phil, Jim, Harry and Nellie Durnan. First cousins to Leo, Phil Durnan settled in the Ossian, Iowa area, Jim Durnan settled in Oelwein, Iowa and Harry settled in Gibbon, Minn.Regarding the Durnin variation, a story passed down is that Stephen arrived in America during the Irish potato famine with a brother and that Stephen took the vowel A and the brother took the vowel I. There is a tombstone near the one for Stephen and Bridget that is shared and on it contains both the A and I variations of the name.
The earliest Durnans known are the brothers Stephen (1833–1888) and Charles (1835–1881) they are believed to have had a sister married to a British soldier.
It is also believed that the two brothers migrated to the United States (cir 1862) since their sister had inherited the family estate due to the restrictive English inheritance laws.
Family tradition says they were from the town of Armagh in the county of Armagh in Ireland. Their parents are believed to have been Thomas Durnan and Kary McGan. Stephan and Charles emigrated from the port of Killybegs, County Donegal, Ireland.
Charles' wife Ellen and their son Stephen accompanied them to the U.S., stopping in or near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
where Thomas and Margaret Durnan lived with their 9 children.
It is believed that Stephen and Charles entered the U.S. through the Port of Boston Massachusetts, although this cannot be confirmed as the records were destroyed by fire in 1894.
Although the record and names of their children, taken from the will of Stephen Durnan dated July 7, 1888 shows the 12 children listed, at the gravesite in Immaculate Conception Cemetery, Fairbank, Iowa.