Currie (surname)
Encyclopedia
Currie is a surname
in the English language
. The name has numerous origins.
, derived from Currie
in Midlothian
, Scotland
. In other cases it originated as a habitational name, derived from Corrie
, in Dumfriesshire
, Scotland. A third origin for the surname is that it originated as a Scottish spelling of the Irish surname Curry
, an surname which has several origins. A fourth origin of the surname, particularly on Arran
, is as an Anglicised form of the Scottish Gaelic MacMhuirich
. The Hebridean MacMhuirich evolved in such a way that the forms McVurich and McCurrie first appeared in the 17th century, and by the 18th century Currie is found on Islay
, and on Uist
by the 19th century. Another origin of the surname is from Curry, in Somerset
, England
. In some cases the name may also be derived from the Old French
curie, which means "kitchen
".
Early forms of the surname include: æt Curi, in about 1075; and de Cury, in 1212. Both forms are derived from the place name in Somerset. Other early forms include: atte Curie, in SRS 1327; and atte Corye. Early forms of the surname, derived from a Scottish place name, is de Curry, in 1179; and de Curri, in 1210. An early form of the surname, when derived from MacMhuirich is M'Currie and Currie, in the early 18th century.
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
in the English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. The name has numerous origins.
Etymology
In some cases it originated as an habitational nameHabitational name
A habitational name is a type of name. These names denote the starting inhabited location. Such locations can be any type of settlement, such as: homesteads, farms, enclosures, villages, hamlets, strongholds or cottages. The second element of a habitational name describes the type of settlement...
, derived from Currie
Currie
Currie is a civil parish and suburb of Edinburgh, Scotland, situated 10 kilometres south west of the city centre. A former village within the County of Midlothian, it lies to the south west of the city, between Juniper Green and Balerno on the Lanark Road...
in Midlothian
Midlothian
Midlothian is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy area. It borders the Scottish Borders, East Lothian and the City of Edinburgh council areas....
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. In other cases it originated as a habitational name, derived from Corrie
Corrie family
The Corrie family, also known as the Currie family, was a Scottish family which was once seated in what is today the civil parish of Hutton and Corrie, in Dumfriesshire, Scotland. The leading branch of the family were the Corries of that Ilk. Members of the family are on record in the Middle Ages...
, in Dumfriesshire
Dumfriesshire
Dumfriesshire or the County of Dumfries is a registration county of Scotland. The lieutenancy area of Dumfries has similar boundaries.Until 1975 it was a county. Its county town was Dumfries...
, Scotland. A third origin for the surname is that it originated as a Scottish spelling of the Irish surname Curry
Curry (surname)
Curry is a common surname throughout Ireland and Scotland. There are also three places in Cornwall bearing the name Curry, or a similar spelling of it.-Forms of the name:...
, an surname which has several origins. A fourth origin of the surname, particularly on Arran
Isle of Arran
Arran or the Isle of Arran is the largest island in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland, and with an area of is the seventh largest Scottish island. It is in the unitary council area of North Ayrshire and the 2001 census had a resident population of 5,058...
, is as an Anglicised form of the Scottish Gaelic MacMhuirich
MacMhuirich (surname)
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 Hebridean MacMhuirich evolved in such a way that the forms McVurich and McCurrie first appeared in the 17th century, and by the 18th century Currie is found on Islay
Islay
-Prehistory:The earliest settlers on Islay were nomadic hunter-gatherers who arrived during the Mesolithic period after the retreat of the Pleistocene ice caps. In 1993 a flint arrowhead was found in a field near Bridgend dating from 10,800 BC, the earliest evidence of a human presence found so far...
, and on Uist
Uist
Uist or The Uists are the central group of islands in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.North Uist and South Uist are linked by causeways running via Benbecula and Grimsay, and the entire group is sometimes known as the Uists....
by the 19th century. Another origin of the surname is from Curry, in Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. In some cases the name may also be derived from the Old French
Old French
Old French was the Romance dialect continuum spoken in territories that span roughly the northern half of modern France and parts of modern Belgium and Switzerland from the 9th century to the 14th century...
curie, which means "kitchen
Kitchen
A kitchen is a room or part of a room used for cooking and food preparation.In the West, a modern residential kitchen is typically equipped with a stove, a sink with hot and cold running water, a refrigerator and kitchen cabinets arranged according to a modular design. Many households have a...
".
Early forms of the surname include: æt Curi, in about 1075; and de Cury, in 1212. Both forms are derived from the place name in Somerset. Other early forms include: atte Curie, in SRS 1327; and atte Corye. Early forms of the surname, derived from a Scottish place name, is de Curry, in 1179; and de Curri, in 1210. An early form of the surname, when derived from MacMhuirich is M'Currie and Currie, in the early 18th century.
Persons with the surname
- Airese CurrieAirese CurrieAirese K. Currie is a professional American and Canadian football wide receiver for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the fifth round of the 2005 NFL Draft...
, American football player - Alannah CurrieAlannah CurrieAlannah Currie is a musician and artist, best known as a former member of the UK pop group, Thompson Twins.-Career:...
, New Zealand musician - Arthur CurrieArthur CurrieSir Arthur William Currie GCMG, KCB , was a Canadian general during World War I. He had the unique distinction of starting his military career on the very bottom rung as a pre-war militia gunner before rising through the ranks to become the first Canadian commander of the four divisions of the...
, Canadian general - Austin CurrieAustin CurrieAustin Currie is a former politician who was elected to the parliaments of both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland....
, Irish politician - Balfour CurrieBalfour CurrieBalfour Watson Currie, was a Canadian scientist specializing in the fields of meteorology and climatology....
, Canadian scientist - Barbara Flynn CurrieBarbara Flynn CurrieBarbara Flynn Currie is a Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives, representing the 25th District since 1979.- Political career :...
, American politician - Betty CurrieBetty CurrieBetty Currie is the former personal secretary for Bill Clinton...
, secretary to Bill Clinton - Billy CurrieBilly CurrieBilly Currie is an English violist, violinist, pianist, keyboardist, and songwriter...
, British musician - Cameron Currie, USA federal judge
- Cecil CurrieCecil CurrieCecil Edmund Currie was an English Cricketer, who followed a career in first-class cricket, playing for Cambridge University and Hampshire, after which he became a Solicitor at Freshfields & Leece in London....
, English cricketer - Cherie CurrieCherie CurrieCherie Currie is an American singer, actress and chainsaw artist. Currie was the lead vocalist of The Runaways, a hard rock band from Los Angeles in the mid-to-late 1970s.-Life and career:...
, American rock singer - Chuck CurrieChuck CurrieThe Rev. Chuck Currie is a United Church of Christ minister in Portland, Oregon who works on issues related to homelessness, housing and health care, and as a writer and preacher....
, United Church of Christ minister - Dan CurrieDan CurrieDaniel George Currie is a former professional American football linebacker in the National Football League. He played nine seasons for the Green Bay Packers and the Los Angeles Rams . He was an All-American linebacker and center at Michigan State in 1957...
, American football player - Darren CurrieDarren CurrieDarren Paul Currie is an English footballer who plays for Hendon in the Ryman League Premier Division...
, English footballer - David Vivian CurrieDavid Vivian CurrieDavid Vivian Currie, VC, CD , was a Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.-Biography:...
, Canadian Army officer - Donald CurrieDonald CurrieSir Donald Currie GCMG was a British shipowner.Currie was born in Greenock, Scotland. However, he spent his school days in Belfast at the Belfast Academy and later at the Royal Belfast Academical Institution and at a very early age he was employed in the office of a shipowner in that port...
, Scottish shipowner - Edwina CurrieEdwina CurrieEdwina Jonesnée Cohen is a former British Member of Parliament. First elected as a Conservative Party MP in 1983, she was a Junior Health Minister for two years, before resigning in 1988 over the controversy over salmonella in eggs...
, British politician - Finlay CurrieFinlay CurrieFinlay Jefferson Currie was a Scottish actor of stage, screen and television.Currie was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1878. His acting career began on the stage. He and his wife Maude Courtney did a song and dance act in the US in the 1890s. He made his first film in 1931...
, Scottish actor - Sir Frederick Currie, 1st BaronetSir Frederick Currie, 1st BaronetSir Frederick Currie, 1st Baronet was an English diplomat.He was educated at Charterhouse and had a distinguished career in the British East India Company and the Indian Civil Service...
, member of Supreme Council of India - Reverend Sir Frederick Larkins Currie, English cricketer
- George CurrieGeorge CurrieGeorge Boyle Hanna Currie MBE was a Northern Irish barrister and politician.Currie went to Campbell College, Belfast, followed by Trinity College, Dublin where he earned the degrees of Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts, and Bachelor of Laws...
, Northern Ireland politician - George R. CurrieGeorge R. CurrieGeorge R. Currie was an American jurist from Wisconsin.Born in Princeton, Wisconsin, Currie graduated from University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh and taught school for a few years. He then received his law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School and practiced law in Sheboygan, Wisconsin...
. U.S. jurist and Wisconsin Chief Justice - Gilbert A. CurrieGilbert A. CurrieGilbert Archibald Currie was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan.Currie was born in Midland Township, Michigan, attended the district school, Midland High School, and graduated from the law department of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor in 1905. He was admitted to the Michigan bar...
, U.S. politician - Gordon CurrieGordon CurrieGordon Currie is a Canadian and American actor. He has also directed, written and produced several films. He works in both the U.S. and Canada in television and film roles. He is probably best known for his role as Nicolae Carpathia in Left Behind-Early life:Currie was born in Vancouver, British...
, Canadian actor - Gregory CurrieGregory CurrieGregory Currie is Professor of Philosophy and Dean of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Nottingham.He was educated at the London School of Economics and the University of California, Berkeley...
, Australian philosopher - James Currie (physician), Scottish physician, biographer of Robert Burns
- James Currie (politician)James Currie (politician)James George Currie was speaker of the Legislature of Ontario from December 21, 1871 to March 29, 1873 and served as Liberal MLA for Welland from 1871 to 1879. His standing committee service included those for Private Bills, Railways, Privileges and Elections, and Standing Orders.Currie was born...
, Canadian politician - John Cecil CurrieJohn Cecil CurrieBrigadier John Cecil Currie DSO & two Bars, MC was an officer in the British Army during World War II.As part of Iraqforce , Brigadier Currie commanded the 9th Armoured Brigade during the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Persia. His brigade was part of Hazelforce commanded by Brigadier J.A...
, British World War Two Army officer - Justin CurrieJustin CurrieJustin Robert Currie is a Scottish singer and songwriter, best known as the founding member of the band Del Amitri and, along with Iain Harvie, is one of only two members of the group to be present throughout its entire existence.-Del Amitri:Justin Currie established the band Del Amitri while...
, Scottish singer-songwriter - Ken CurrieKen CurrieKen Currie is a Scottish painter, one of the most influential living artists in Scotland. His paintings are displayed in public and museum collections worldwide....
, Scottish artist - Lauchlin CurrieLauchlin CurrieLauchlin Bernard Currie was a Canadian-born U.S.economist from New Dublin, Nova Scotia, Canada, and allegedly an agent of espionage for the Soviet Union....
, Canadian economist - Mark Currie (games developer)
- Mark John CurrieMark John CurrieCaptain Mark John Currie RN played a significant role in the exploration of Australia and the foundation of the Swan River Colony, later named 'Western Australia'....
, Vice-Admiral R.N. and founder settler in Western Australia - Archbishop Martin William CurrieMartin William CurrieMartin William Currie is a Roman Catholic prelate. He is currently serving as the head of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. John's, Newfoundland. Until March 1, 2011, when Pope Benedict XVI accepted his resignation as Bishop there, he was the Bishop of Grand Falls.-Life:Archbishop Currie was...
, Catholic prelate serving in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada - Michael Currie (actor), American actor
- Monique CurrieMonique CurrieMonique Currie is a WNBA basketball player who plays for the Washington Mystics.Currie was traded from the Chicago Sky during the 2007 season in exchange for Chasity Melvin...
, American basketball player - Nancy J. CurrieNancy J. CurrieNancy Jane Sherlock Currie is an engineer, United States Army officer and a NASA astronaut.-Background:Currie was born December 29, 1958, in Wilmington, Delaware, but considers Troy, Ohio, to be her hometown...
, American astronaut - Patrick Fearon Currie, Commanding Officer Canadian Third Field Regiment
- Philip Currie, 1st Baron CurriePhilip Currie, 1st Baron CurriePhilip Henry Wodehouse Currie, 1st Baron Currie GCB , known as Sir Philip Currie between 1885 and 1899, was a British diplomat. He was Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire from 1893 to 1898 and Ambassador to Italy from 1898 to 1902.-Background and education:Currie was the son of Raikes Currie, Member...
, British diplomat - Philip J. Currie, Canadian paleontologist
- Raikes CurrieRaikes CurrieRaikes Currie was Member of Parliament for Northampton from 1837 to 1857. He was a partner of the bank Curries & Co, Cornhill, City of London, and had several interests in the newly developing colony of South Australia...
, English politician - Richard CurrieRichard CurrieRichard James Currie, OC was born in 1937 in Saint John, New Brunswick, and is a notable Canadian businessman.- Education :He began his post-secondary education at the University of New Brunswick in 1955, after receiving a Beaverbrook Scholarship to attend the institution, where he was elected...
, Canadian businessman - Steve CurrieSteve CurrieSteve Currie was born in Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, England. He was best known as the bass player and long term member of the English glam rock band T.Rex....
, bassist for T. Rex - Tony Currie (broadcaster)Tony Currie (broadcaster)Tony Currie is a Scottish broadcaster and writer who is currently a continuity announcer for BBC Scotland.Currie began his broadcasting career at KPFK Radio in Los Angeles in 1972 before joining Scotland's first independent local radio station, Radio Clyde, a year later as the first person on air...
, Scottish broadcaster - Tony Currie (footballer), English footballer
- Tony Currie (rugby league), Australian rugby league footballer