Muire History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

In ancient Scotland, the first people to use Muire as a surname were the Strathclyde-Britons. It was a name someone who lived near a moor, or heath. 1 In Gaelic, Mor means great or big; therefore, a scribe may have mistaken the adjective Mor as a surname More or Muir. This may explain the occurrence of the surname Muir, or a variant in Northern Scotland.

The name Muir would seem out of place in that region because it holds a meaning of "living by a moor or heath," not the typical landscape of the highlands. Judging by its meaning, Muir is a local name of the south that described the area, in which the original bearer lived or held land. 2

Early Origins of the Muire family

The surname Muire was first found in Ayrshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Inbhir Àir), formerly a county in the southwestern Strathclyde region of Scotland. Thomas de la More was the executor of the will of Devorguilla de Balliol in 1291. While the first spelling of the name was More, it gradually evolved to Muir which became more popular, and by 1300 the name Muir had become the preferred spelling. Donald, Adam, Renaud, Gilchrist and Simon Muir, all rendered homage on behalf of their Clan to King Edward I of England on his brief conquest of Scotland in 1296.

"Adam de la More and William de la More were jurors on the lands of Lady Elena la Zuche in Conyngham, 1296. Ade More who held lands of Reltone in Rerwickshire, in 1315-1321 may be Adam More or Moire, knight, who witnessed charters by Bruce in 1328-1329. Elizabeth Mere, daughter of Sir Adam Mure of Rowallan, became queen of King Robert 11, 1347. Adam of Mwre was juror on inquest in Kirkwall, 1369. John Mvr of Enerothyll was witness, 1460, and John Mur or Muyr was vicar general of the Predicant Order in Scotland, 1469-1470 ." 2

Early History of the Muire family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Muire research. Another 178 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1458, 1526, 1541, 1559, 1594, 1657, 1700, 1740, 1753, 1760, 1765, 1771, 1787, 1793, 1798, 1800, 1810, 1812, 1822, 1829, 1869, 1887, 1890 and 1959 are included under the topic Early Muire History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Muire Spelling Variations

Before the printing press standardized spelling in the last few hundred years, no general rules existed in the English language. Spelling variations in Scottish names from the Middle Ages are common even within a single document. Muire has been spelled Muir, Mure, Moor, Moore, Mure, More, Moorman and many more.

Early Notables of the Muire family

Notable amongst the family at this time was Sir William Mure (1594-1657), Scottish writer and politician; John Muir, a Sanskrit scholar, and his brother Sir William Muir, who was an Arabic scholar and biographer of Mohammed; and Edwin Muir (1887-1959), a noted poet and critic.Thomas Muir (1765-1798), parliamentary reformer, was born at Glasgow on 24 Aug. 1765, being the only son of Thomas Muir, a flourishing tradesman, who in 1753 published a pamphlet on England's foreign trade. He was educated at Glasgow grammar school and at the university, intending at first to enter the church, but ultimately deciding on the bar...
Another 156 words (11 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Muire Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Muire family to Ireland

Some of the Muire family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 84 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Muire migration to the United States +

For Scottish immigrants, the great expense of travel to North America did not seem such a problem in those unstable times. Acres of land awaited them and many got the chance to fight for their freedom in the American War of Independence. These Scots and their ancestors went on to play important roles in the forging of the great nations of the United States and Canada. Among them:

Muire Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Robert Muire, who arrived in New Jersey in 1685 3

The Muire Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Duris non frangor
Motto Translation: I am not disheartened by difficulties.

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. 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)
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)