Recorded as Hurran, Hurand, Hurant, Hurren, Hurrin, Hurring, and possibly others, this can be described as an Anglo-French surname but of French origins. First introduced into England after the Norman Conquest of 1066, it is one of that fascinating group of European surnames that were gradually created by the habitual use of a nickname. These were given with reference to a variety of distinguishing features, but in particular mental or physical characteristics. In this case the derivation is from the French word "hurer", meaning to bristle, and hence was given to somebody considered by his peer group to be a prickly character. The surname development in England has included recordings such as William Hurand of Essex in 1245, and Edmund Hurryng of Suffolk in 1524. Examples of the surname from English and French church registers include: the christening of Jean Francois Hurrant, on March 21st 1740, at Avaux, Ardennes; and the marriage of Thomas Hurran to Nancy Price, on April 7th 1776, at St. Anne's Soho, Westminster. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of William Hurant. This was dated 1086, in the Domesday Book of Suffolk, during the reign of King William 1, known as "The Conqueror", 1066 - 1087. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was sometimes known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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