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

Drury, 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 Drury surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Drury in America

Drury is the 3342nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Drury surname appeared 10,721 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Drury.

We can also compare 2010 data for Drury 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 Drury

The surname Drury originates from Normandy in France. It is derived from the Old French word 'druerie', meaning a favor or love token. The name came to England after the Norman Conquest in 1066. Some of the earliest recorded references to the name are in the Domesday Book, which lists various landholders with the surname Drury in counties such as Suffolk and Norfolk.

The Drury family established themselves as prominent landowners and members of the gentry class in England during the medieval period. One of the earliest notable individuals with this surname was Sir Roger Drury (c.1455-1495), who served as Lord Justice of Ireland in the late 15th century. Another prominent figure was Sir William Drury (c.1500-1558), who was a courtier and soldier during the reigns of Henry VIII and Edward VI.

In the 16th century, the Drury family gained further prominence through Sir William Drury (1527-1579), who was a distinguished military commander and served as Lord Deputy of Ireland from 1576 to 1578. His nephew, Sir Robert Drury (1567-1615), was also a notable soldier and served as a Member of Parliament.

During the English Civil War in the 17th century, the Drury family supported the Royalist cause. Sir William Drury (1617-1689) was a prominent Royalist commander and was knighted for his service to King Charles I. Another notable figure from this period was Sir Roger Drury (1609-1679), who was a Member of Parliament and served as Lord Mayor of London in 1670.

In the 18th century, the Drury family continued to play a role in British society. Rev. Thomas Drury (1701-1767) was an Anglican clergyman and headmaster of Harrow School, while his son, Rev. Henry Drury (1737-1812), was also a clergyman and served as the master of Harrow School.

One of the most famous individuals with the surname Drury was the 18th-century actor and theatre manager, David Garrick (1717-1779), whose real name was David Garrick Drury. He is considered one of the greatest actors of the English stage and helped establish the reputation of the Drury Lane Theatre in London.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Drury

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

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 Drury 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 Drury 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 Drury was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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