This unusual surname has (at least) three possible origins, and is found in many spelling forms as shown below. The first of these is English and is a locational name from any one of the places in the counties of Cornwall and Somerset such as Curry Mallet or Curry Revel, which are named from the river Curry, on which they stand. The etymology of the river name is obscure, but it may be from the pre 7th century Olde English word "cweorn," meaning a mill or mills. The second origin is Scottish and locational. This can be either Currie in the former county of Midlothian, and thought to be derived from the Gaelic word 'curraigh', meaning a wet plain or marsh, or from a place called Corrie, in the former County of Dumfrieshire. This is named from the ancient Gaelic word 'coire', meaning a cauldron, but used in a transferred sense to describe a circular valley by a mountain. The third possible origin Is Irish, where it is recorded as O' Corry, O'Curry, Corr, Corrie, Corry, Coree, and Corrett. The first known recording of the name in Scotland is that of Philip de Curry of the town of Melrose in 1279, whilst in England the first recorded spelling is shown to be Richard de Cury. This was dated 1212, in the tax registers known as the Fees Court, for Somerset, during the reign of King John of England, 1199 - 1216. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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