O'Curran

This interesting name is one of the Anglicized forms of the Gaelic (Irish) "O'Corraidhin", meaning "descendant of Corraidhin", a personal name from a diminutive form of the byname derived from "corradh", spear. The surname Corrin is numerous and widespread in Ireland now, both in its Anglicized forms and in the Irish forms of O'Corrain or O'Currain. In the 16th and 17th Centuries, the name was found mainly in counties Waterford and Tipperary, and also in Galway and Leitrim. In Kerry, the name was usually found as Currane, and other variants in the modern idiom include, Corran, Curreen and Curren. One Andrew O'Curran, O.S.B., was appointed Prior of Glascarrig in 1411, after an interesting case of dispensation by the Pope. On July 14th 1755, Elizabeth Corrin married James Haselden at St. Nicholas, Liverpool. The marriage of Elizabeth Corrin and John Lace took place on October 18th 1783, at St. Anne's, Soho, Westminster, London. Mary Ann, daughter of John and Ellen Corrin was christened on May 19th 1786 at St. Nicholas, Liverpool. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Simon O'Currin, which was dated 1300, Bishop of Kilfenora, during the reign of King Edward 1, known as "The Hammer of the Scots", 1272 - 1307. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.