Surname Durrett - Meaning and Origin
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Durrett: What does the surname Durrett mean?
The surname Durrett is a patronymic name derived originally from the French language. It is believed to come from the old French 'durette', meaning 'hardy or tough'. This could have been a nickname for a tenacious and stubborn person. As a surname, it may have been given to individuals and their descendants who displayed these characteristics. Over the centuries, the original spelling has seen many variations, like 'Durat', 'Duret', 'Durret', 'Durat', etc., with Durrett just being one of them. It's important to note that surnames evolved as a way to sort people into groups - by occupation, place of origin, clan affiliation, patronage, parentage, adoption, and physical characteristics. Surnames are often multi-dimensional in their significance, covering numerous aspects of identity and familial lineage. Today, people carrying the last name Durrett are found mainly in the United States, though it is also present in other parts of the world.
Order DNA origin analysisDurrett: Where does the name Durrett come from?
The surname Durrett is of French origin. It is believed to have its roots in the medieval French word "dur" meaning "hard" or "enduring", which was used as a nickname before starting to be incorporated as a surname. The suffix 'ett' is diminutive, so the name could mean 'little enduring one' or 'little hard one'.
After the Norman conquest, the name became more widespread in England. Over the years, it diversified into many spelling variants like Durie, Dury, Durry, Dorey, and Durrett among others. There were several Durretts who moved from England to the English colonies in North America in the 17th and 18th centuries, which led to a more significant presence of the name in the United States.
Today, the name Durrett is most common in the United States, particularly in the southern parts of the country. According to census records and online surname distribution tools, states like Kentucky, Virginia, Texas, and Georgia have a higher concentration of Durretts. However, it is not a very common surname, making it fairly distinctive. Its presence is also noticeable, albeit less common, in Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom.
Variations of the surname Durrett
The surname Durrett is French in origin. There are variations of Durrett that include Durrette, Durett, Duret, Duriet, and Durette. Other similar surnames may include Durand, Durrant, and Durante. The variations in the surname can be attributed to regional differences in France as well as phonetic spellings during periods of immigration, where officials usually wrote names as they sounded.
In addition to this, there were also variations of this surname such as Durette, Durande, De Durette, Duree, Durret, Duree, Dur, and many more based on the specific region in France. Additionally, the suffix '-et' is commonly used in French surnames to indicate a place, profession, or characteristic.
This surname also has variant spellings prevalent due to ethnic heritage, the passage of time, and translation between languages. Name translations adopted during immigration periods resulted in a variety of spellings of the same original surname, giving rise to many surnames that sound similar or have similar meanings.
As surnames became standardized, many families chose to Anglicize or slightly alter their names for ease of pronunciation or other reasons, creating yet additional varieties of the Durrett surname.
Famous people with the name Durrett
- Rick Durrett: Known primarily for his contributions to probability theory, Rick Durrett is a prominent mathematician and author. He's taught at Cornell University and Duke University.
- Richard Durrett: An accomplished sports journalist, Richard Durrett covered major Dallas sports teams for ESPN and the Dallas Morning News before his sudden death in 2014.
- Jerry Durrett: An experienced voice actor, Jerry Durrett has lent his talent to a variety of video games and television shows.
- Heloise Durrett: She was a respected opera singer, performing in the mid-20th century on notable stages across the United States.
- Ozella Durrett: Wife of R&B legend Sam Cooke, Ozella Durrett is noteworthy due to her marriage to the influential singer.
- S. Brett Durrett: Bringing a deep experience in digital media and platform development, S. Brett Durrett has worked as the CEO of the social news and entertainment network, The Chive.
- Darlene Durrett: Historical figure related to the performing arts, primarily involved in theater production during the mid-20th century in America. Note: The surname Durrett is not common among famous people, therefore the list is relatively short.