Currin

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 Currin 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. Recordings of the surname from the Allhallows, London Wall church registers include; the marriage of Henrye Currin and Margereat Nycholson which took place on November 27th 1587, on November 29th 1588 Martha, daughter of Harrye Currin was christened and Margereat Currin married Thomas Nycholson on August 17th 1589. 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.