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| Origin | |
|---|---|
| Region of origin | British Isles |
| Other names | |
| Variant form(s) | Currey Currie Corry MacMhuirrich MacVurich |
Curry is a common surname used in Ireland, Scotland and England. Currey is a less common variant. In England and Scotland, is it thought to derive from local place names and, in Scotland, also possibly from MacMhuirrich. [1] [2]
In some cases the surname is an Anglicised form of the Irish Ó Comhraidhe; the "h" lenites the preceding consonant, so the Anglicised form is not far from the pronunciation in Irish. It sometimes takes the form Corry or Corra, especially in the northern counties, where in the few early records in which the name is found the prefix 'Mac' is usually substituted for 'O'. Corry, however, may also have other origins which will be mentioned later.
In Scotland the surname was originally Gaelic MacMhuirich however with the Highland clearances, many Gaelic names were Anglicised so the surnames took the form of something that sounded similar. MacMhuirich took variations such as MacVurich, Currie, Curry and Currey.
The most numerous and well-known sept of Ó Comhraidhe is that of Thomond with their centre in County Clare. There was a little-known sept of O'Curry in the barony of Kerrycurrihy in Cork, where the name is now often found as Corry. This Cork sept may have been a branch of the main Thomond sept. They are recorded as a sept of Corca Laoighe and the name is found also in Kerry, presumably as a result of migration. In addition to the main sept of Ó Comhraidhe another of the same name was located in County Westmeath, where they were Chiefs of Moygoish. Curristown, to which they gave their name, (now known as Belmont) is testimony to their power and significance in that area.
In Ulster, many of the name Curry are of Scottish ancestry. There is a rule of thumb that says Currie is Scottish while Curry is Irish in origin, but the spellings have been so interchanged that the rule counts for little. In Scotland Currie can be a variant of Corrie. It can also be an Anglicised form of the Gaelic MacMhuirich, 'son of Murdoch'. One family of this surname, Clann MacMhuirich , was produced hereditary bards to chiefs of Clan Donald and Clan MacDonald of Clanranald, and claim descent from the thirteenth-century Irish poet Muireach Alhanach.
In mid-nineteenth-century Antrim the main concentration of the name was found to be to the north of Ballymoney in the barony of Carey. In a final twist to the history of the name in Scotland, many Curries of Arran, Kintyre and the Isles were originally MacCurdys
The name Corry is usually Ó Corraidh (or Ó Corra) and in modern times is often abbreviated to Corr. However, when found in Clare, it is probably a variant form of Ó Comhraidhe - O'Curry and as we have seen already, Corry is a known variant of Curry in Cork.
In Ulster, the names Corr, Corry and Curry are numerous. There they can be of more than one origin. The majority no doubt are Ó Corra, descended from the sept of that name located in the Tyrone-Fermanagh country and numerous in central Ulster in the seventeenth century as the Hearth Money Rolls show.
Many of the Corrs of Tyrone and Londonderry are, however, descended from the Gilla Corr, mentioned in the Annals of Ulster (1186), whose son is perpetuated in the townland of Ballykilcurr, near Maghera. One of the Anglicised forms of Mac Gothraidh - a branch of the MacGuires of Fermanagh, and most usually found as McCaffrey - is MacCorry, often without the prefix Mac; others are MacCorry and Godfrey. Mac Corra, too, has been noted in Ulster but this is possibly a modem form of Mac Gothraidh. Both O'Cor and MacCor occur in the Armagh Hearth Money Rolls, O'Cor being the more numerous there.
The prevalence of the name Corry in Counties Waterford and south Tipperary in the seventeenth century might suggest that some of the O'Currys of Thomond migrated but this theory is not borne out by numerous mediaeval records which show that people called Cor and Corre were established in Counties Tipperary and Kilkenny as early as 1270 (Richard Corre was Bishop of Lismore from 1279 to 1308): this may well be an unidentified Norman name unrelated to Curry, for migration from Thomond to Ormond was unusual, though not unknown, before the fourteenth century. However, in the mid 17th century at the time of Oliver Cromwell's campaign in Ireland, one of the major landowners in south Tipperary (Clonmel) was a John Corr of Toberhanny. He is said to be descended from a Norman family Corre, that came to Ireland in 1171 at Crooke, County Waterford with King Henry II of England, alongside Theobald FitzWalter, later to become Butler, Earl of Ormonde. In 1650 John Corr and 141 retainers were given the option 'To Hell or to Connaught', In other words, either be transplanted to Connaught or face death and eternity in hell. It is said that John Corr was a close ally of the Butler's of Ormonde. When he was dispossessed of his lands he sought refuge with the Ormondes. When Ormonde regained control of his lands he rewarded John Corr with grants of land for his allegiance. Instead of lands at Toberhanny, he was given land at Cuffesgrange, County Kilkenny. (previously known as Comerford's Grange). The family remain here to this day. This family is the same family of Frank J. Corr who became mayor of Chicago.
Gormley is an Irish surname. It is derived from the Gaelic Ó Goirmleadhaigh meaning 'descendant of Gormghal'. The main sept of the clan originated in Tyrconnell and then spread into Tyrone. The Ulster branch of the clan were chiefs of the Cenél Moain and originated in what is now the barony of Raphoe in East Donegal, an area known in Gaelic times as Tír Moain. The common ancestor and progenitor of these Gormleys was Moain son of Muireadach, son of Eoghan, son of Niall of the Nine Hostages.
Mahaffey is a surname of Scottish origin, and is an Anglicisation of the Gaelic name Mac Dhuibhshithe. It is a sept of Clan Macfie in Scotland, but the clan originated in Ireland. There the name is found largely in County Donegal, Ulster.
Kenny is a surname, a given name, and a diminutive of several different given names.
Curtin is a surname which is most common in the Province of Munster in Ireland. It takes several variant forms transliterated from the Irish language, such as: Mac Cruitín, Mac Curtain or Ó Cruitin, most of which are anglicised as Curtin. The literal translated meaning of the Irish elements of the name are Mac + Cruit + -ín, hence Little Hunchback, or Little Crooked One, but also Son of the Harp, or One associated with the art of the Irish Harp, which ties in with a traditional role in Gaelic culture. It is believed there are multiple Curtin families with different origins, the most famous of which is the bardic family which stems from Co. Clare. In the census of 1659 in Counties Cork, Kerry and Limerick similar sounding names such as Mac Curatine and O' Curataine were treated as synonymous although they are not the same clan. Curtayne is a variant surname chiefly in south Munster.
Orr is a surname of Scottish and Ulster-Scots origin. It is derived from the Gaelic Odhar meaning "dark, pale". In Scotland, Orr may be a sept of Clan Campbell.
Crotty are anglicisations of the Irish name Ó Crotaigh – ‘Descendant of Crotach’. The name dates from medieval times, to the pre-Norman kingdom of Thomond where the Dál gCais clan, centred on the regional rulers – the Uí Briain (O'Brien) family – were dominant. The Crottys were one of eight septs of the O’Briens. They settled in western County Waterford and eastern County Cork.
Currie is a surname in the English language. The name has numerous origins.
Garvey and O'Garvey are Irish surnames, derived from the Gaelic Ó Gairbhith, also spelt Ó Gairbheith, meaning "descendant of Gairbhith". Gairbhith itself means "rough peace".
Éogan is an early Irish male given name, which also has the hypocoristic and diminutive forms Eoganán, Eóghainin, Eóghain and Eóghainn. The Modern Irish form of the name is Eoghan.
McGowan is an Irish and Scottish surname. It is an Anglicization of the Irish Mac Gabhann and Scottish Mac Gobhann, both of which mean 'son of (the) smith'. Belonging to the Uí Echach Cobo, located in modern-day western County Down, Ulster, they were of the same stock as the McGuinness clan.
Tubridy, less commonly known as Tubrid and Tuberty, is a Gaelic Irish clan from Munster. The sept is most common along the West Coast of County Clare, but has also had some presence in County Waterford and County Tipperary. The Tubridys of Thomond are thought to have originated as scribes, as a sept of the Dál gCais, kindred to clans such as the O'Brien, O'Grady and MacNamara. The name means "descendant of Tiobraide", with the Gaelic language word tiobraid meaning "a well". Although to this day, Ireland remains the core location for the clan, it has also spread in diaspora to Great Britain, the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Canada since the 19th century.
McElwain or McElwaine is a surname of Gaelic origin. It can be derived from either Scottish or Irish. The Scottish translation being the anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Gille Bheathain, meaning ‘son of the servant of (Saint) Beathan’ and also a personal name representing a diminutive of beatha ‘life’. The Irish form being the anglicised form of Gaelic Mac Giolla Bháin, meaning ‘son of the white-haired lad’. In Ulster this surname can be derived to be the Scottish form as opposed to the Irish form which would be more common in the Republic of Ireland. Another anglicised version of the Irish "Mac Giolla Bháin" is the surname Kilbane.
MacGorman, also known as McGorman, Gorman, or O'Gorman, is an Irish Gaelic clan based most prominently in what is today County Clare. The paternal ancestors of the clan are of the Laigin and emerged in what is today County Waterford. As leaders of the Uí Bairrche, they competed with the Uí Cheinnselaig in the 5th century for the Kingship of Leinster, ultimately losing out in that specific arena, but holding on to significant lands in the Leinster area.
Aulay is a Scottish masculine given name. It is an Anglicisation of the Scottish Gaelic Amhladh, Amhlaidh, Amhlaigh, and Amhlaibh. The standard Irish Gaelic form of these names is Amhlaoibh ; which can be Anglicised as Auliffe and Humphrey.
The McPhillips surname may be of Scottish or Irish origin, the surname is found predominantly in Ireland, in Cavan, Fermanagh and Monaghan counties. It is usually derived from the common surname Phillips.
Gahan is a surname with several different origins. One origin of the surname is from a reduced form of McGahan, which is in turn an Anglicised form of the Irish language Mac Eacháin, meaning "son of Eachán". Another origin of the name, in Leinster, is from a reduced form of the Irish language Ó Gaoithin, meaning "descendant of Gaoithín". The personal name Gaoithín is a diminutive of gaoth, meaning "wise", or "wind". In Connacht, Ó Gaoithin is sometimes Anglicised as Wynne or Wyndham. Occasionally, the surname Gahan may be an Anglicised form of the Irish language Mac Gaoithín, meaning "son of Gaoithín", although the more common Anglicised form of this Gaelic name is McGeehan in Ulster.
MacMhuirich is a masculine surname in Scottish Gaelic. The feminine form of the surname is NicMhuirich. The masculine form translates into English as "son of Muireach", and the feminine name translates as "daughter of MacMhuirich". The personal name Muireach means "mariner". The surname has been borne by a noted Hebridean family of bards, who claimed descent from an early 13th-century Irish bard.
The MacMhuirich bardic family, known in Scottish Gaelic as Clann MacMhuirich and Clann Mhuirich, and anglicised as Clan Currie was a prominent family of bards and other professionals in the 15th to 18th centuries. The family was centred in the Hebrides, and claimed descent from a 13th-century Irish bard who, according to legend, was exiled to Scotland. The family was at first chiefly employed by the Lords of the Isles as poets, lawyers, and physicians. With the fall of the Lordship of the Isles in the 15th century, the family was chiefly employed by the chiefs of the MacDonalds of Clanranald. Members of the family were also recorded as musicians in the early 16th century, and as clergymen possibly as early as the early 15th century.
Curran is an Irish surname.
Gillespie is both a masculine given name and a surname in the English language. Variants include Gillaspie and Gillispie.
