English
The surname Curry is of English origin. It is a habitation name from one of the places in Somerset so called from the river 'Curry', on which they stand, the name of which is of unknown origin. According to Sir Walter Scott, in his Lady of the Lake, he has - 'Fleet foot in the corie', and a footnote explains thus: 'Corie or Cori, the hollow side of the hill where game usually lies'. In Scotland it may also be a habitation name from 'Currie' in the former county of Midlothian, first attested in this form in 1230; it may also be derived from 'Corrie' in the former county of Dumfries. A family could acquire a place name as a surname under three different circumstances: 1. the gentleman lived or worked in or near some topographical formation or landscape feature, either natural or artificial. 2. he formerly lived in a village and thus acquired the reputation of being from that place. 3. he owned or was lord of the village or manor designated. However, it is safe to say that in most cases a manor or village name merely identifies the place where the original bearer of the name formerly resided; as is the case with the surname Curry. The Irish have used the name for an anglicization of the Gaelic name O'Comhraidhe. The name dates back to the tenth century were a Dodda oet Curi is recorded in historical archives. The name was brought to America by English and Scottish immigrants. One of the first fore fathers to bring this name to America is that of a James Curry, who came to America aboard the barque Adventure; he settled in Maryland. This name is the three-hundredth and sixty-fifth most numerous surname in America.