The Gurney surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 4,547 people carried this name — #7,336 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 64,900 people counted. That is up 5% from 4,311 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Gurney surname

English surname of Norman origin, from Gournay-en-Bray in Seine-Maritime, France. Sometimes also from Great Gornhay in Tiverton, Devon, for which see Garnsey.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Gurney» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘of Gournai’.

An early record he cites: John de Gorney, Somerset, 1327–28 (1 Edward III) — Kirby's Quest (Somerset).

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 344 · public domain.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 27 people named Gurney.

8 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 2 départements, most often Doubs.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 8
Doubs 17
Paris 2

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Gurney was found among the farmers of 3 counties.

It was most frequent in Buckinghamshire: 35 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 286. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Buckinghamshire 35
Bedfordshire 15
Hertfordshire 15

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

48 families named Gurney, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 261 people lived in those households, 5.4 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 2 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Massachusetts 27
New York 13
Maine 5
Pennsylvania 2
Rhode Island 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 243 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Gurney in American newspapers,
1871–1904.

Newspaper page from Iowa Voter carrying the name Gurney
Iowa Voter 1871-02-23
Newspaper page from The Commoner carrying the name Gurney
The Commoner 1904-10-07
Newspaper page from The Grange Advance carrying the name Gurney
The Grange Advance 1877-07-04

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 2,328 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Gurney in Australian newspapers,
1810s–1990s.

19,091 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Gurney. The most, 3,042, date from the 1930s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Tasmania, at 1.3 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 8,244
South Australia 2,604
Victoria 2,578
Queensland 2,488
Tasmania 1,743
Western Australia 1,311
ACT (Canberra) 49
Northern Territory 15

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Gurney.

Who carried it

People named Gurney,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Thomas Gurney
    Thomas Gurney 1705–1770 · court reporter
  • John Gurney d. 1408 · politician
  • Edmund Gurney d. 1648
  • Elisabeth Margaret Boughey d. 1985
  • Eliza Gurney d. 1888
  • June Rose Charlotte Rachel Gurney d. 2014

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Gurney,
in the records of 7 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States691 records

691 records of the Gurney name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 167
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 137
  • Other U.S. records 387
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Edgar D. Gurney

    Born 1898 in Illinois. Enlisted 1942 at San Francisco, California; route man. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1978, buried at Golden Gate National Cemetery, California.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Thomas Gurney

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Teutonic from Liverpool, aged 25; laborer. From Maryboro, Ireland; bound for Michigan.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. A U.S. Army record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864
    Example: U.S. burial record, 1864
    Burial record Arnold Thomas Gurney

    U.S. Army veteran of the Korean War. Born 1934, died 1996; buried at Roseburg National Cemetery, Oregon.

    U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)

Showing 3 of 691 records for Gurney in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864, U.S. National Archives (public domain).

Australia424 records

424 records of the Gurney name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 206
  • Tasmanian Names Index 62
  • Other Australian records 156
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Ellen Gurney

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Hector, sailing from Woolwich in 1835. Native of Kerry. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1839.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record James Gurney

    Died 1846 in Longford, Tasmania, aged 50. Will registered in Tasmania in 1846.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Georgiana Gurney

    Arrived in Victoria in 1854 aboard the Daylesford, aged 8; British subject.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 424 records for Gurney in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada105 records

105 records of the Gurney name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 52
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 19
  • Other Canadian records 34
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Harold Charles Gurney

    Buried in 1979 at Union Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 95.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Julia Gurney

    Died 1938 in Stellarton, Pictou, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Frederick George Gurney

    Died in service in 1916.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 105 records for Gurney in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

United Kingdom39 records

39 records of the Gurney name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 30
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 9
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record John Gurney

    Buried in 1835 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 67.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record J. Gurney

    Lancashire Fusiliers. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Thomas Gurney

    Buried in 1795 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 49.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Showing 3 of 39 records for Gurney in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

New Zealand17 records

17 records of the Gurney name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 12
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 4
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record John Francis Gurney

    Died 1902, aged 57; buried at Linwood Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Karen Tui Haana Gurney

    Died 2001, aged 50; buried at Totara Memorial Park Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Wayne John Gurney

    Died 1976, aged 27; buried at Picton Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 17 records for Gurney in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

France11 records

11 records of the Gurney name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Michel Louis Albert Gurney

    Born 1937 in Besançon; died 1975 in Besançon (Doubs).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Jeanne Marie Leontine Gurney

    Born 1892 in Montgesoye; died 1988 in Ornans (Doubs).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Sebastien Gurney

    Born 1970 in Montbéliard (Doubs); died 1994 in Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy (Meurthe-et-Moselle).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 11 records for Gurney in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Belgium1 record

1 record of the Gurney name in Belgium Belgian civil registers (births, marriages, deaths)
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Arthur Edwin Gurney

    Died 1943 in Langdorp.

    Open Archives, Stedelijk Archief en Documentatiecentrum Aarschot (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Gurney.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Gurney is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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