Curran
A common Irish surname, usually from an old Gaelic personal name rather than from the English word for a curry or sickle.
The #1,423 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 12,365 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Curran is an anglicized Irish surname, most commonly explained as coming from an old Gaelic personal name, usually given in the form O'Curran. The exact Gaelic root is not entirely certain in the 19th-century sources, but it is treated as an inherited family name of Gaelic origin rather than an occupational English surname. Some older writers linked the name with a personal byname, while also recording many related spellings such as Currane, Curren, Corran, and Creane.
History
The name is strongly associated with Ireland, and 19th-century surname studies place it in several Irish counties, including Donegal, Dublin, Waterford, and Galway. It appears in records under a number of spellings, reflecting the usual variation in anglicizing Irish names. Matheson includes Curran among Irish surnames of established pedigree, and Woulfe records it as a standard anglicized form with several related variants.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Historical sources show Curran clustering in several Irish counties, which is one reason it has remained a distinctly Irish surname in English-language records.
From the historical record
“Kirley. 249. CURRAN. DEU. 267.279. D.L. 450. [Duggan]. Duigan. 420. [Commons]. 503. Cuming. (Kimins). 42.”
— Varieties and Synonymes of Surnames and Christian Names in Ireland