Drury
An old English surname usually traced to the personal name Drew, though some early writers also linked it to Norman-French forms and related spellings like Drewry.
The #3,342 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 28,798 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Drury is generally treated as a surname built from the medieval given name Drew, a short form of Andrew, with an added surname ending seen in forms like Drewry and Drury. Some 19th-century writers also connected it with Norman-French or continental personal names such as Drogo, so the exact route can be difficult to separate in early records. In practice, the name was used as a hereditary family surname in England by the 13th century.
History
The name appears in medieval English records in several spellings, including Drory, Drury, and Drewry. Lower says the family was established in Suffolk after the Conquest and held land there for centuries, while Bardsley cites early records from Huntingdonshire, Yorkshire, and London. Later bearers include the notable Suffolk gentry family and various scattered English lines that kept the surname in use.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In Middle English, drury could also mean “dear one” or “beloved,” which makes the surname feel a little more affectionate than most.
From the historical record
“mond are the principal. DRURY. The founder of the family in England is mentioned in the Battel-Abbey Roll. He settled first at Thurston and subsequently at Rougham, co. Suffolk, and his descendants continued in possession of that estate for about six hundred years. B.L.G. Dryburgh, co. Per- ils romantic abbey,”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom