DURKIN
Durkin is a surname of Gaelic origin, derived from the Irish name Ó Dorcháin. The prefix Ó denotes a male descendant, and the personal byname Dorchán originates from the Gaelic word dorcha, which translates as dark or black. Consequently, the surname literally means “descendant of Dorchán.” The name is predominantly associated with County Mayo in Ireland, where it is linked to the ancient Gaelic kingdom of Ui Fiachrach.
In the early 13th century, the surname appears in the Province of Connacht, particularly within the counties of Mayo and Sligo. It is believed that a branch of the O'Haras adopted the name in Sligo, a sept descended from the celebrated Eaghra, chief of Leyny. Records from the reign of King James I (1603‑1625) list several landholders in the barony of Gallen, County Mayo, bearing the surnames Mac Durcan, Mac Durkain and Mac Curkan.
The spelling of the name varies considerably. Common variants include Durcan, Durkan, and the less frequent forms Gurkin and Zorkin. These are all Anglicised renditions of the original Old Gaelic forms Mac Duarcain or O Duarcain. Here, Mac means “son of” and O again signals a male descendant. The byname Duarcain is a diminutive of duairc, a Gaelic word meaning morose or gloomy, and was originally employed to describe a pessimistic person.
The earliest known record of the family name is the entry O'Duarcan dated to 1225, found in the burial records of County Sligo. This document is believed to have been produced during the reign of Henry I of England, who ruled from 1100 to 1135. The persistence of the name over subsequent centuries attests to its deep roots in the Irish Gaelic tradition.
An example of the surname’s reach beyond Ireland is the migration of Bartley Durkin, a labourer of twenty‑two years old, who departed from Liverpool aboard the ship Niagra bound for New York. He was part of the wave of famine emigrants who sought refuge in America during the early 19th century.
Typical given names associated with the Durkin surname
Male
- Andrew
- Anthony
- Christopher
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Thomas
Female
- Alison
- Ann
- Barbara
- Catherine
- Deborah
- Elizabeth
- Helen
- Joanne
- Margaret
- Maria
- Mary
- Michelle
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
- Darkins
- Dawkin
- Dawkins
- Darkin
- Darrkin
- Daukin
- Daukins
- Darking
- Darkings
- Daragon
- Darcan
- Dargan
- Dargon
- Dargonne
- Darigan
- Darkan
- Darken
- Darkinson
- Darrigan
- Darrighan
- Dauki
- Dauskin
- Dawking
- Dearkin
- Deragon
- Dergan
- Derkin
- Derking
- Derkins
- Derrigan
- Dierken
- Dierking
- Dirken
- Dirki
- Dirkin
- Dirking
- Dirkins
- Dorcan
- Dorgan
- Dorigan
- Dorkan
- Dorken
- Dorkenoo
- Dorkin
- Dorking
- Dorkings
- Dorkins
- Dorrigan
- Dourken
- Dracon
- Dragan
- Dragani
- Dragon
- Dragone
- Dragoni
- Dragoon
- Dragun
- Drakin
- Draycon
- Dregan
- Drogan
- Drogon
- Droogan
- Drougan
- Drucon
- Drugan
- Druggan
- Durcan
- Durgan
- Durgun
- Durigan
- Durigon
- Durin
- Durk
- Durkan
- Durken
- Durkens
- Durkie
- Durking
- Durkins
- Durkis
- Durkiss
- Durkon
- Durrigan
- Dworkin
- Taragon
- Tarcan
- Targan
- Taricone
- Tarkan
- Tarkin
- Tarquini
- Tarquinio
- Tarragano
- Tarragon
- Tercan
- Terkin
- Tirkin
- Torgan
- Torikian
- Torkin
- Torreggiani
- Tracken
- Treccani
- Tregan
- Treganna
- Tregunna
- Tregunne
- Tregunno
- Tricken
- Triggiani
- Trigoni
- Trucken
- Turcan
- Turcanu
- Turconi
- Turkan
- Turkin
- Turkina
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Durkin in...
Braille
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Morse
-....-.-.-.-..-.
Semaphore
There are approximately 4,114 people named Durkin in the UK. That makes it roughly the 2,262nd most common surname in Britain. Around 63 in a million people in Britain are named Durkin.
Surname type: Diminutive
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Durkin
- Martin Durkin - Television director
- Paul Durkin - Football referee
- Billy Durkin - Football player (1921 to 2000)
- John Durkin - Scottish football player
- Herbert Durkin - (1922 to 2004)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.