391 Global Corke Family Members

Corke Family History

This interesting surname is of early medieval English origin, and is a metonymic occupational name for a supplier of red or purple dye. The derivation of the name is from the Middle English "cork", which is of Celtic origin, from the Gaelic "corcair", purple. The name would also be used for someone who used it in dying cloth. The ultimate origin of the dye is from the Latin "purpura", which was the name of the shellfish from which the dye was obtained. The famous Tyrian purple was made from a mixture of these shells and was very costly to produce.