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Gurney History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Gurney History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Gurney

What does the name Gurney mean?

Gurney is one of the thousands of new names that the Norman Conquest brought to England in 1066. The Gurney family lived in Gournay-en-Brai in the Siene-Maritime region of France. 1

Early Origins of the Gurney family

The surname Gurney was first found in Norfolk where they held a family seat as Lords of the manor of Bray, and were granted the lands by William the Conqueror for their assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D.

It is claimed that this ancient race was one of the first Vikings to settle in Normandy, and became Lords of Gournay, which became a town, Gournai-n-Brai, in the arrondisement of Newfchatel. There were two Hughs of Gournays at the Battle of Hastings, father and son, and their son Gerard de Gournay married Edith the daughter of Gundrada, the daughter of William the Conqueror. 2

Another source differs with the spellings and origin of the name. "Hugo de Gournay, Lord of Gournay, in Normandy, who bore, for arms, pure sable, was one of the barons who commanded at the battle of Mortimer, against the French in 1054. Subsequently, coming over to England with Duke William, he participated in the victory of Hastings, and was rewarded with the manorial grants in Essex, which he held at the period of the General Survey. His son, Gerard de Gournay, Baron of Gournay, in Normandy, and Baron of Yarmouth in England, greatly increased his power and influence, by marrying the Conqueror's granddaughter, Editha, dau. of William de Warren, Earl of Surrey." 3

Farrington-Gurney in Somerset was the site of an ancient family seat. "This place takes the adjunct to its name from the Gournays, its ancient possessors, of whom Sir Thomas de Gournay was concerned in the murder of Edward II. at Berkeley Castle, for which his estates were confiscated." 4

To underline the long and steeped history of the family we include this early entry. Sir Matthew Gourney (1310?-1406), was an English soldier, "fourth son of Thomas Gourney, one of the murderers of Edward II, who was afterwards banished from England, and in the parliament held at the end of 1330 was condemned during his absence. Next year he was arrested at Burgos in Spain, but escaped, only, however, to be recaptured at the end of 1332 at Naples; he died in 1333 while on his way back to England as a prisoner. Mathew Gourney was born at Stoke-under-Hamden in Somersetshire about 1310. He became a distinguished soldier of fortune. Froissart terms him a 'moult vaillans chevalier.' He was first mentioned as being at the battle of the Sluys (1340). " 5

We now move to Bideford, Devon where a famous bridge was erected. "It is quite uncertain when it was built, the early records having been destroyed ; but, as the oldest seal of

the borough in existence, of fourteenth-century date, has the bridge for device, so old at least must Bideford Bridge be. According to tradition, no foundation could be laid until Sir Richard Gornard, or Gurney, the parish priest, dreamt that a rock had been rolled to the site to serve for that purpose, and, going there in the morning, found his dream accomplished ; whereupon the work was soon completed. " 6

Early History of the Gurney family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gurney research. Another 200 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1565, 1622, 1626, 1641, 1645, 1655, 1665, 1683, 1685, 1688, 1719, 1721, 1741, 1770, 1777, 1779 and 1896 are included under the topic Early Gurney History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gurney Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Gourney, Gurney, Gurnie, Gurnee, Gournie, Gournee, Gurnay, Gournay, Gurnard and many more.

Early Notables of the Gurney family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Marie de Gournay (1565-1645), a French writer, who wrote a novel and a number of other literary compositions, including two protofeminist works, The Equality of Men and Women (1622) and The Ladies' Gr...
John Gurney (1688-1741), was an English Quaker, the son of John Gurney (1655-1721), a merchant of Norwich, and a Friend, who had been imprisoned from 1683 to 1685 for refusing the oath of allegiance...

Gurney Ranking

In the United States, the name Gurney is the 5,786^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 7

Gurney migration to the United States +

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Gurney or a variant listed above:

Gurney Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Edward and John Gurney who settled in Cambridge Massachusetts in 1630
Edward Gurney, who landed in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1636 8
Joane Gurney, who arrived in Virginia in 1656 8

Gurney Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James Gurney, who landed in New York, NY in 1812 8
L B Gurney, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 8
Peter Gurney, who arrived in Arkansas in 1890 8

Gurney migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Gurney Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Edward Gurney, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for life, transported aboard the "Canada" on 23rd April 1819, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
Thomas Gurney, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "Albion" on September 21, 1826, settling in New South Wales, Australia 10
Mr. Ephraim Croft Gurney, British convict who was convicted in Bedford, Bedfordshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Bussorah Merchant" on 1st October 1829, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 11
Mr. Conlay Gurney who was convicted in Edinburgh, Scotland for life, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 4th August 1836, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 12
Mr. Henry Gurney, English convict who was convicted in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Eden" on 27th August 1836, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 13
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Gurney migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Gurney Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

F. Gurney, who arrived in Lyttelton, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bellissima" in 1864
Joseph Gurney, aged 32, a bricklayer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bebington" in 1872
Emma Gurney, aged 28, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bebington" in 1872
Miss Julia Gurney, (b. 1854), aged 20, English servant from Surrey travelling from London aboard the ship "Tweed" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 4th September 1874 14
Daniel Gurney, aged 23, a labourer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Dilharree" in 1875
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Gurney (post 1700) +

Dan Gurney (1931-2018), American racing driver, race car constructor, and team owner, one of the most important figures in the history of American auto racing, inducted into The International Motorsports Hall of Fame
Brigadier-General Augustus Milton Gurney (1895-1967), American Commanding General Camp Earle, Alaska (1945-1946) 15
Edward John Gurney, American politician
Alex Gurney (b. 1974), American professional auto racing driver and son of Dan Gurney
A R Gurney (b. 1930), American playwright and novelist
J. T. Gurney, American politician, Member of South Dakota State House of Representatives 11th District, 1907-08, 1917-18 16
Edward John Gurney (1914-1996), American Republican politician, Mayor of Winter Park, Florida, 1961-62; U.S. Representative from Florida, 1963-69; U.S. Senator from Florida, 1969-74 16
E. R. Gurney, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Nebraska, 1916 16
Chester Gurney, American politician, Candidate for Governor of Michigan, 1847 16
Charles Edwin Gurney (b. 1874), American Republican politician, Member of Maine State House of Representatives, 1917; Member of Maine State Senate 2nd District, 1919-22 16
... (Another 19 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Gurney family +

HMS Repulse

Mr. Harry Gurney, British Able Bodied Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 17

Citations +

The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Worth, R.N., A History of Devonshire London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, E.G., 1895. Digital
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/canada
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Albion voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1826 with 192 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/albion/1826
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 10th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bussorah-merchant
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th October 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eden
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, October 11) Augustus Gurney. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Gurney/Augustus_Milton/USA.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 1) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html