Contents [hide]

Moreland History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Moreland History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The roots of the Anglo-Saxon name Moreland come from when the family resided on a moor, which is a tract of open, uncultivated ground which is usually grown over with heather and coarse grasses and has a poor, peaty soil. The surname Moreland literally means dweller by the moor-land. The surname Moreland belongs to the class of topographic surnames, which were given to people who resided near physical features such as hills, streams, churches, or types of trees. 1

Early Origins of the Moreland family

The surname Moreland was first found in Westmorland. The Mauley branch of the family claim Ugthorpe in the North Riding of Yorkshire as their ancient ancestral home. "This was an ancient demesne of the crown, and is styled in Domesday Book Ughetorp; the Mauleys became lords here at an early period, and from them the manor and estate descended by marriage to the Bigods, and afterwards to the Ratcliffes, by whom the whole was sold in parcels." 2

"The first of this name we can trace is Peter de Mauley, a Poictevin, Baron of Mulegrave, and Lord of Doncaster, in Yorkshire. He appears to have been an adherent of King John, and to have acquired his English estates in marriage with Isabel, daughter and heir of Robert de Thurnham, whose wife was Joanna Fossard, heiress of Mulqrave, a descendant, probably, of the Domesday Nigel. Camden says, that "by marriage Peter de Mauley came to a great inheritance at Mulgrave, and that the estate was enjoyed by seven Peters, Lords de Malo-lacu." 3

"The first mention of this name occurs shortly after the death of Richard I., when John, in order to clear his way to the throne, employed his esquire Peter de Mauley, a native of Poitou, to murder his nephew, Prince Arthur, for which service De Mauley received great remuneration in the West of England. In charters, the latinization of this name, De Malo Lacu, might be supposed to be no unapt allusion to the "bad lake or pool" of blood thus unrighteously shed by the founder of the race." 4

As far as the Moreland (Morland) variant is concerned, we found the first record in Somerset: Edith de la Morland there in 1257. A few years later, Henry atte Morlonde was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296 and William de Morland in the Subsidy Rolls for Yorkshire in 1327. 5

Early History of the Moreland family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Moreland research. Another 164 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1100, 1190, 1625, 1660, 1695, 1789 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Moreland History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Moreland Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Moreland has been recorded under many different variations, including Morland, Morley, Moorland, Morthland, Morlay and many more.

Early Notables of the Moreland family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Sir Samuel Morland (1625-1695), notable English academic, diplomat, spy, inventor and mathematician, made 1st Baronet Morland in 1660; the...
Another 26 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Moreland Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Moreland Ranking

In the United States, the name Moreland is the 1,805^th most popular surname with an estimated 17,409 people with that name. 6

Migration of the Moreland family to Ireland

Some of the Moreland family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 60 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Moreland migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Moreland or a variant listed above:

Moreland Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas Moreland, aged 19, who landed in Virginia in 1621 aboard the ship "Abigaile" 7
Christopher Moreland, who arrived in Maryland in 1637 7
Dormett Moreland, who arrived in Virginia in 1652 7
Edw Moreland, who landed in Virginia in 1663 7

Moreland Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Bartlet Moreland, who landed in Virginia in 1702 7

Moreland Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Charles Moreland, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1807 7
William Moreland, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1812 7
Henry Moreland, aged 34, who landed in New York in 1812 7
Andrew Moreland, who arrived in Charleston, South Carolina in 1830 7
John Moreland, who arrived in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1839 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Moreland migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Moreland Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Elizabeth Moreland, aged 21, a widow, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the schooner "Sarah" from Belfast, Ireland
James Moreland, aged 2, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the schooner "Sarah" from Belfast, Ireland

Moreland migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Moreland Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Benjamin Moreland, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Caspar" in 1849 8

Moreland migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Moreland Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

John Moreland, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Santon" in 1870
Margaret Moreland, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Santon" in 1870
Emily Moreland, aged 21, a nurse, who arrived in Taranaki aboard the ship "Hermione" in 1878
William Moreland, aged 18, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Hudson" in 1879
Frank Moreland, aged 17, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Hudson" in 1879

Contemporary Notables of the name Moreland (post 1700) +

Mantan Moreland (1902-1973), American actor and comedian most popular in the 1930s and 1940s
Private First Class Whitt Lloyd Moreland (1930-1951), United States Marine, recipient of the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Korean War
Earthwind C. Moreland (b. 1977), American former NFL cornerback
Jack Wade "Jackie" Moreland (1938-1971), American NBA basketball player who played from 1960 to 1970
Mitchell Austin Moreland (b. 1985), American Major League Baseball first baseman
James Porter "J.P." Moreland (b. 1948), American philosopher, theologian, and Christian apologist
Bobby Keith Moreland (b. 1954), American Major League Baseball player who played from 1978 to 1989
Arthur Geoffrey Moreland (1914-1996), English professional footballer
Barry Moreland (b. 1943), Australian dancer and choreographer
Robert John Moreland (b. 1941), British management consultant and politician

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The CASPAR 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Caspar.htm