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Where did the English Duren family come from? What is the English Duren family crest and coat of arms? When did the Duren family first arrive in the United States? Where did the various branches of the family go? What is the Duren family history?The distinguished surname Duren 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 while another census in 1198, lists Aceline, Ralph, Richard, and Robert Durant.
Endless spelling variations are a prevailing characteristic of Norman surnames. Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules, and the introduction of Norman French added an unfamiliar ingredient to the English linguistic stew. French and Latin, the languages of the court, also influenced spellings. Finally, Medieval scribes generally spelled words according to how they sounded, so one person was often referred to by different spellings in different documents. The name has been spelled Durand, Durant, Durande, Durrane, Dant, Dante and many more.
First found in Warwickshire, Worcestershire, and Salop, where the Duren family held a family seat from early times, having been granted lands by Duke William of Normandy, their liege Lord, for their distinguished assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Duren research. Another 241 words(17 lines of text) covering the years 1140 and 1296 are included under the topic Early Duren History in all our PDF Extended History products.
More information is included under the topic Early Duren Notables in all our PDF Extended History products.
To escape the political and religious persecution within England at the time, many English families left for the various British colonies abroad. The voyage was extremely difficult, though, and the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving. But for those who made it, the trip was most often worth it. Many of the families who arrived went on to make valuable contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families reveals a number of immigrants bearing the name Duren or a variant listed above:
Duren Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
Duren Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
The Duren Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Duren Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.
This page was last modified on 4 July 2013 at 14:21.