Gortahurk derives its name from the IrishGort an Choirce meaning "field of the oats". Two of the earliest recordings of this townland however—GortyIchorchy (1609) and Gort Okorte (1613)—suggest that the scribe felt that the final element of the name Gortahurk was a surname. This is testified by the use of the capital I in GortyIchorchy and the capital O in Okorte, both of which represent the Irish surname prefix Ui. Despite this no suitable surname is attested to in any of the major works on Irish surnames.
History
Population
Year
Pop.
1841
186
1851
129
1861
98
1871
95
1881
99
1891
69
1901
66
1911
79
1926
62
Size (acres, roods, poles)
Year
a, r, p
1851
878, 2, 22
1881
878, 2, 22
1901
878, 2, 22
1926
873, 0, 29
Earlier recorded forms
Year
Form
1609
GortyIchorchy (E.C.)
1613
Gort Okorte
1613
Gortiharky (Charter)
1622
Gortocork
1654
Gorkcorke
1657
Gortihorky
1659c
Gortikorky
1663
Gortkirk
1767
Gortahurk
1813
Gortahork
(E.C.) - Escheated Counties Map 1609 (Charter) - Charter of Londonderry 1613
^Northern Ireland Environment Agency. "NIEA Map Viewer". Archived from the original on 24 November 2011. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
^ Toner, Gregory: Place-Names of Northern Ireland, page 123-124. Queen's University of Belfast, 1996, ISBN0-85389-613-5
^ Notes on the Place Names of the Parishes and Townlands of the County of Londonderry, 1925, Alfred Moore Munn, Clerk of the Crown and Peace of the City and County of Londonderry