Durkee
A surname of uncertain Gaelic origin, often explained as meaning “dark” or “swarthy.”
The #8,248 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 76,860 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This name is usually treated as a Gaelic nickname surname. One proposed source is Gaelic *duirche*, a comparative form related to *dorch* (“dark”), giving the sense “darker” or “dark-complexioned.” Another older explanation connects it with a Gaelic word glossed as “surly” or “sour,” but that derivation is less secure. The surname may also reflect a local or descriptive nickname that was later Anglicized in spelling.
History
The surname appears in North American records in several spellings, including Durkee, Durkin, and Durgin/Durgan-like forms, suggesting that it was adapted in English-speaking contexts from an earlier Gaelic name. Nineteenth-century surname writers grouped it among names of Celtic or descriptive origin, but they did not agree on a single certain etymology. In the United States, Durkee became established as a recognizable family name, though it remains relatively uncommon.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The 19th-century surname scholar Arthur thought Durkee might ultimately relate to a Gaelic word for “dark,” showing how often complexion-based nicknames became hereditary surnames.
From the historical record
“Dourham, that is, the place or town surrounded by woods. DURKEE or DURGY. In the Gaelic, Duirche is the compar- ative of Dorch, dark, cloudy, hence dark-complexioned. It may come from Durga, Gaelic, surly, sour, repulsive Durgy, in the Cor. Br., signifies a small turf hedge. DURWARD. A porter or door-keeper —…”
— An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names