Origin of the Darrah Name

Several opinions exist regarding the origin of the Darrah surname, but some ideas are generally regarded as true.

The surname in its original form was almost certainly "Darroch", and it originated in Scotland, particularly on the islands of Islay and Jura. The family is usually accepted as a sept of the Clan Donald, and may have grown larger during the era when the Campbells ruled Argyll, and it was not safe to be called "MacDonald". In his book, "The Clans, Septs, and Regiments of the Scottish Highlands," Sir Thomas Innes states that "The Darrochs are offically reckoned a clan of their own." This may be so, but I have yet to see a tartan or clan badge of the Darrochs, and I believe the family should be considered a sept of the Clan Donald.

The name may have originated in one or more of the following ways--

1. The Celtic/Gaelic word "dair" meaning oak. The first syllable of the name is invariably DARR, pronounced "dare", and an ancestor may have distinguished himself with an oak staff.

2. Mac Gillie Riabhaich, a Celtic expression meaning "son of the frecked man". This is a group of names including MacIleriach and MacIlwraith, who were bards to the Clan Donald. How this became Darroch, I have no idea, but Innes maintains that it is so.

3. Man of Dura, the ancient name for Jura. Rev. Donald Budge, in his book "Jura, an Island of Argyll," says that Darroch is from "durach", a name given to islanders visiting or living in other locations.

The pronunciation of the name is consistently "dare' uh", with a strong accent on the first syllable and a weak sluffing off on the second. This is reflected in the standard spelling of the DARR and the variations of the second, as Darrah, Darroch, Darrow, Darrough, Darragh. There is a number of vowell substitutions in records, such as Derrow, Derraugh,Derreh, Dorrow, Durah, etc. In many U.S. records, spelling variations occur between siblings, between fathers and sons, and on different records of the same individual.