Morris (surname)
Morris is a surname of various origins though mostly of English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh origin. The name in some cases can be of German origin and even an Americanization of several Jewish surnames.[1] The surname ranked 53 out of 88,799 in the United States and 32 out of 500 in England and Wales.[2]
Origins
Britain
In England and Scotland, the name can be derived from the Old French personal name Maurice which was introduced to Britain by the Normans. It can also be derived from the Latin Mauritius, a derivative of Maurus. This name was used by several early Christian saints. The first Morrises in the British Isles were recorded as living in the bordering counties of Monmouthshire, Wales and Herefordshire, England by the Norman Conquest of 1066 AD.[3] In Wales, Morris is an Anglicisation of the Welsh personal name Meurig (ultimately derived from Latin Mauritius).[1] Additionally the name Morris is of Anglo-Norman origin deriving from the 'de Marisco' line. In some instances the surnames Morris has been seen to derive from Morres which is the plural topographical name for a 'family living on the Morre' (moors). It is not a coincidence that the greatest concentration of the Morris name in England is found around Bolton-le-Moors, Lancashire; a county where topographical and placename surnames dominate.
Also, Morris is a component of the surname Conway Morris.
Ireland
Morris (Ó Muiris in Irish) was introduced to Ireland by the Normans, along with the variant Fitzmaurice (Mac Muiris). A branch of these Morrises moved to Galway in 1485 and later became one of the Tribes of Galway. The name may also have been an abbreviation of Morrissey (Ó Muireasa), a branch of the Uí Fiachrach clan.
Germany
In some cases Morris is of German origin, as a variant of the German name Moritz.
Notable people sharing the surname "Morris"
- Alexander Morris, Canadian politician and judge
- Allen Morris (historian)
- Arthur Morris (Alaska), American military official
- Bobby Morris (b. July 3, 1975) Poet and Chef
- Barry Morris (1935–2001), Australian politician
- Benny Morris (born 1948), Israeli historian
- Charles W. Morris (c. 1901 – 1973), American semiotician and philosopher
- Chris Morris (disambiguation)
- David Morris (skier) (born 1984), Australia Olympic Aerial Skier.
- Des Morris (born 1948), Australian rugby league footballer, coach and administrator
- Desmond Morris (born 1928), British ethnologist and zoologist
- Dick Morris (born 1948), American political author, newspaper columnist, and commentator
- Dov Grumet-Morris (born 1982), American ice hockey player
- Edward Morris (disambiguation)
- Edward Morris (businessman) (died 1913), President of Morris & Company
- Edward Morris, 1st Baron Morris, lawyer and Prime Minister of Newfoundland
- Edward Joy Morris (1815–1881), U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania
- Edward Ellis Morris (1843–1902), educationist and miscellaneous writer
- Edward Morris I (1580-1607), early American settler, arrived in Jamestown Colony April 30, 1607 aboard the Susan Constant
- Ed Morris (1880s pitcher) (1862–1937), 19th-century Major League Baseball pitcher
- Ed Morris (1920s pitcher) (1899–1932), 20th-century Major League Baseball pitcher
- Elizabeth Morris (born 1946), British glaciologist
- Errol Morris (born 1948), American documentary film director
- Estelle Morris (born 1952), British politician and member of the House of Lords
- Rev. Francis Orpen Morris (1810–1893), Irish ornithologist and entomologist
- Garrett Morris (born 1937), American actor and comedian
- Gouverneur Morris (1752–1816), American statesman, and diplomat
- Grenville Morris (1877–1959), Welsh footballer
- Harvey R. Morris (1807–1886), New York politician
- Heather Morris (born 1987), American Actress
- Herbert Stanley Morris (1892–1918), South African botanist
- Ivan Morris (1925–1976), British author and teacher in the field of Japanese Studies
- Jack Morris (born 1955), baseball player
- James Morris, several people
- Jane Morris (née Jane Burden, 1839 – 1914)
- Jasper Morris, British wine expert
- Jenny Morris (field hockey) (born 1972), Australian field hockey player
- Jim Morris (baseball coach) (born 1950), American college baseball coach
- Jody Morris, English, FA cup-winning, football player
- Joe Morris, several people
- John Morris (disambiguation), several people
- Johnny Morris (1916–1999), British television presenter for BBC children's programming
- Josh Morris (born 1986), Australian Rugby League player
- Karen Joy Morris aka Karen Mok (born 1970), Hong Kong actress and singer-songwriter
- Lewis Morris (1726–1798), American landowner and signatory to the United States Declaration of Independence
- Lewis Morris (1701–1765), British hydrographer, antiquary, poet and lexicographer
- Lewis Morris (poet) (1833–1907), British poet of the Anglo-Welsh school
- Lorenzo Morris (1817–1903), New York politician
- Marcus Morris (disambiguation)
- Mark Morris, American choreographer
- Mary Morris (1915–1988), British actress
- Matt Morris (musician) (born 1979), American musician
- Matt Morris (baseball) (born 1974), baseball pitcher
- Mercury Morris, American football player
- Michael Morris, 3rd Baron Killanin (1914–1999), British journalist and former president of the International Olympic Committee
- Nasief Morris (born 1981), South African footballer
- Neva Morris (1895–2010), American supercentenarian
- Pat Morris (politician), mayor of San Bernardino, California
- Paul Morris (disambiguation), several people
- Raheem Morris, American professional football coach
- Ray Morris, Australian rugby league footballer
- Robert Morris (disambiguation), several people
- Ron Morris (athlete) (born 1935), American 1960 Olympic Pole Vault Silver medal
- Ron Morris (Canadian football), professional football player and coach in the Canadian Football League
- Ron Morris (American football) (born 1964), professional American football wide receiver
- Roger Morris (bishop) (born 1968), Bishop of Colchester
- Russell Morris (born 1948), Australian singer-songwriter
- Russell Morris (cricketer) (born 1967), Welsh cricketer
- Ruthie Morris (born 1964), musician
- Samuel Morris (cricketer), Australian cricketer
- Samuel Morris (merchant) (1711–1782), American revolutionary
- Samuel Morris (soldier) (1734–1812), American revolutionary soldier
- Samuel Kaboo Morris, African prince who attended Taylor University and for whom Morris Hall at Taylor is named
- Samuel Wells Morris (1786–1847), United States congressman from Pennsylvania
- Shane Morris (1998) College American Football Quarterback
- Sarah Jane Morris (singer), English singer
- Sarah Jane Morris (actress)
- Steve Morris (disambiguation)
- Stephen Morris (disambiguation)
- Thomas Morris (disambiguation)
- Wanya Morris (born 1973), American R&B singer and lead of group Boyz II Men
- William Morris (1834–1896), British artist, writer, and a principal founder of the British Arts Crafts movement
- William Morris, 1st Viscount Nuffield (1877–1963), British industrialist and philanthropist, founder of Morris cars
- William J B Morris (b. 1940- ), a former Welsh Rugby Union Player.
See also
- Morris (given name)
- Morris (disambiguation)
- Maurice (disambiguation)
- Morrice
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Morris Name Meaning and Origin Retrieved on 2007-12-31
- ↑ Behind the Name: Morris Retrieved on 2009-04-16
- ↑ url=http://www.houseofnames.com/fc.asp?sId=&s=morris