Mortenson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Denmark
Scotland
Ireland
England

Among the the peoples of ancient Scotland, the first to use the name Mortenson were the Strathclyde-Britons. Mortenson was a name for someone who lived in Dumfriesshire at Morton, a parish containing, with the village of Thornhill, and part of Carronbridge. "The name of Morton, which is Anglo-Saxon, signifies "the stronghold or dwelling on the moor;" and the parish appears to have been thus denominated from the old castle of Morton, a very strong place, the striking ruins of which are still to be seen upon an extensive moor at the bottom of a beautiful green hill. This castle is supposed to have been originally the possession of a Norman chief named de Moreville, whose family had settled in Scotland in the 10th century, obtained a large part of the estates in this neighbourhood, and risen to great power and eminence. He was appointed hereditary lord high constable of Scotland; and his grandson, Hugo de Moreville, in the year 1140, founded the monastery of Kilwinning, in Ayrshire, and in 1144 the abbey of Dryburgh, in Teviotdale." 1

Early Origins of the Mortenson family

The surname Mortenson was first found in Dumfriesshire at Morton. One of the first records of the family was "Hugh de Mortun, prior of May, c. 1204-11. William de Mortun who witnessed a grant of the churches of Trauerflat and Dungray to the Abbey of Kelso in 1266, may be W. de Mortun, rector of the church of Dunbenauch, 1269. Thomas de Mortoun held the mill of Mortoun, Dumfriesshire, 1376, and John de Mortoun was provost of the Collegiate Church of Bothevile, 1413." 2

The same author postulates the the origin of the name may also Of territorial origin from the lands of Myrton or Myretoun, afterwards Morton, in the parish of Kemback, Fife. The Myretons, Myretouns, or Mortons of Cambo were an old and considerable family in Fife, who took their surname from these lands. The family "are said to have derived their name from an ancestor in the fourteenth century, who held office as mair of the barony of Crail, and whose own lands were designated Mairtoun. But it is more probable that the family were named from the character or condition of their lands-Myretoun being a corrupt form of Muirtown." 2

Early History of the Mortenson family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mortenson research. Another 237 words (17 lines of text) covering the years 1051, 1160, 1170, 1361, 1373, 1422, 1429, 1431, 1446, 1514, 1544, 1559, 1581, 1584, 1590, 1598, 1647, 1694, 1820, 1869 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Mortenson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mortenson Spelling Variations

Medieval Scottish names are rife with spelling variations. This is due to the fact that scribes in that era spelled according to the sound of words, rather than any set of rules. Mortenson has been spelled Morton, Moreton, Moorton, Myrton and others.

Early Notables of the Mortenson family

Notable among the family at this time was James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton (d. 1581), Scottish nobleman, who ruled as a regent for James IV; a line of Moretons, who were Earls of Ducie, as well as John Morton of York, who was the Archbisop of Canterbury and Lord Chancellor of England during the reign of Henry...
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Mortenson Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mortenson Ranking

In the United States, the name Mortenson is the 6,899^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Mortenson family to Ireland

Some of the Mortenson family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 56 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mortenson migration to the United States +

Many Scots were left with few options other than to leave their homeland for the colonies across the Atlantic. Some of these families fought to defend their newfound freedom in the American War of Independence. Others went north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. The ancestors of all of these families have recently been able to rediscover their roots through Clan societies and other Scottish organizations. Among them:

Mortenson Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Charles Mortenson, aged 28, who landed in Ncw Orleans, La in 1820 4
Jacob Mortenson, who landed in Arkansas in 1874 4
Hans Peter Mortenson, who arrived in Iowa in 1887 4

Mortenson Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Louis Mortenson, who arrived in Wisconsin in 1914 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Mortenson (post 1700) +

M. A. Mortenson Sr., American founder of Mortenson Company in 1954, now a major renewable energy construction company
Jack Mortenson, American founder of Mortenson Broadcasting who owns Christian radio stations throughout the Unites States
Ray Mortenson (b. 1944), American artist photographer, best known for black-and-white photographs of abandoned buildings in The Bronx taken in the early 1980s
Greg Mortenson (b. 1957), American humanitarian, professional speaker, writer, and former mountaineer
Jay Paul Mortenson (b. 1966), American former competitive swimmer and Olympic gold medalist at the 1988 Summer Olympics
Norma Jean Mortenson (1926-1962), birth name of Marilyn Monroe, American Golden Globe winning actress, singer and model
Heidi Mortenson (b. 1975), Danish electronic composer, singer and producer
Christen Mortenson Olsen (1858-1938), American politician, Member of South Dakota State House of Representatives 20th District, 1905-08 5

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html