Find out how popular the last name Curren is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Curren.

Curren, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Curren surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Curren in America

Curren is the 15681st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Curren surname appeared 1,861 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Curren.

We can also compare 2010 data for Curren to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Curren

The surname Curren is believed to have originated in Scotland, with its roots tracing back to the 16th century. The name is derived from the Scottish Gaelic word "curran," meaning "little cairn" or "small heap of stones," often used to mark boundaries or burial sites.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Curren surname can be found in the parish records of Ayrshire, Scotland, in the late 1500s. It is thought that the name may have initially referred to individuals who lived near such cairns or worked as stone masons, responsible for constructing these markers.

The Curren surname is also closely associated with the Clan Currie, a Scottish clan hailing from the Western Isles and the Hebrides. The Curren spelling is considered a variant of the more common Currie surname, both sharing the same origins.

In the 17th century, a notable figure bearing the Curren name was John Curren, a Scottish minister and theologian born in 1620. He was known for his writings on Presbyterian doctrine and served as a minister in several parishes throughout Scotland.

Another historical reference to the Curren surname can be found in the records of the Darien Scheme, an ill-fated colonial expedition launched by the Kingdom of Scotland in the late 1690s. Among the settlers who traveled to the Darien region of Panama was a man named Robert Curren, whose fate remains unknown after the colony's eventual abandonment.

During the 18th century, the Curren surname began to spread beyond Scotland, with individuals bearing the name migrating to various parts of the British Empire, including North America and the Caribbean. One such figure was William Curren, a merchant and plantation owner born in Scotland in 1725, who later settled in Jamaica.

In the 19th century, the Curren name gained further prominence with the birth of Jane Curren Philpott in 1853. She was a renowned American educator and advocate for women's rights, who played a significant role in establishing the first public high school for girls in West Virginia.

Another notable Curren from this era was John Curren, an Irish-born Australian politician and pastoralist. Born in 1837, he served as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly and was a prominent figure in the development of the wool industry in Australia.

As the Curren surname continued to spread across the globe, it has been borne by various individuals in different fields, including literature, sports, and entertainment. While the name may have evolved in spelling and pronunciation over the centuries, its Scottish roots and connection to the Gaelic word "curran" remain an integral part of its rich history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Curren

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Curren.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Curren was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Curren has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Curren was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Curren, please contact us.

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