Durr
A surname with several possible roots, including a German nickname tradition and an English/Scottish place-name connection.
The #5,057 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 44,507 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Durr is not straightforwardly explained by the historical sources, and it may have more than one origin. One line of evidence links it with German and French forms, where it may be a short nickname or dialect spelling related to a word for something hard, dry, or stony, though the exact sense is not certain. Another possibility is that it arose as a locational surname from a place-name in Britain, as some 19th-century writers grouped it with local surnames. In short, Durr is best treated as a compact surname with uncertain, possibly multiple, European roots.
History
The name appears in older surname lists in England, Scotland, and on the Continent, especially in German- and French-looking forms. Because the same spelling can reflect different sources in different countries, modern bearers may descend from unrelated lines. In the United States it is uncommon but established, which fits a surname that likely entered through immigration from several directions.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname dictionaries sometimes place Durr alongside names like Dorey, Durey, and Dury, showing how fluid spelling could be before modern standardization.
From the historical record
“n., Perth Scroggs. A loc. n., Cumb., Durr fries 1 1 Scrogham. A loc. n. Scrottow. A loc. n.”
— British Family Names: their origin and meaning (2nd ed.)