Home   |   Customer Service   |   Site Map   |   Surname Search   |   How To Buy

Shopping Cart
0 Items
100% SATISFACTION GUARANTEE - no headaches!
Share |
Decrease Font Size Text Increase Font Size
An excerpt from www.HouseOfNames.com archives copyright © 2000 - 2012

Origins Available: Irish, Scottish-Alt, Scottish

Where did the Scottish Morrison family come from? What is the Scottish Morrison family crest and coat of arms? When did the Morrison family first arrive in the United States? Where did the various branches of the family go? What is the Morrison family history?

The roots of the Morrison family name are in ancient Scotland with the Viking settlers. Morrison was derived from the name Maurice. This comes from the Latin personal name Mauritius, which means dark. Numerous legends exist for the origins of this great Scottish Clan. One old tale holds that the Clan's Norse forbears were shipwrecked off the Isle of Lewis, and saved themselves by clinging to driftwood; hence the Clan Plant badge is driftwood. Another branch claims descent from the O'Muircheasain bards of the outer Hebrides. This latter legend is not inconsistent with a possible shipwreck of the Norsemen, as many of the bardic missionaries from Ireland were of Norse descent. Others claim the Clan is descended from King Somerled, King of the Isles, who died in 1164. Again, this is compatible with history, as Somerled was descended from the Norse Kings of Ireland and gave origin to many of the more notable Scottish Clans.

 More

Sound and intuition were the main things that scribes in the Middle Ages relied on when spelling and translating names. Since those factors varied, so did the spelling of the names. Spelling variations of the name Morrison include Morrison, Morison, Morieson and many more.

First found in on the Isle of Lewis, where the first Clan chiefs once held the hereditary office of Judges or Brieves of Lewis. They also had their stronghold in the Tigh Mor' or 'big house,' which was near Habost in Ness on the extreme northern tip of Lewis. Their claim of descent from King Somerled is also substantiated by their descent through Ceadhain Mac Mhuirich. A Chief of a junior branch of the Donalds, he was descended from Somerled, and through Gillemoire, a brother of Leod (progenitor of the MacLeods) - both were royal princes of the Norse Empire of the Isle of Man and the Hebrides.


 More

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Morrison research. Another 366 words(26 lines of text) covering the years 1600, 1660, 1790, 1852, and 1893 are included under the topic Early Morrison History in all our PDF Extended History products.

 More

Another 125 words(9 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Morrison Notables in all our PDF Extended History products.

 More

Some of the Morrison family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. Another 104 words(7 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products.

 More

In North America, the monarchy was thousands of miles away and Scots were free to settle on their own land and practice their own beliefs. The American War of Independence provided an opportunity for these settlers to pay back the English monarchy and forge a new nation. Recently, this heritage has survived through North American highland games and clan societies. Early North American immigration and passenger lists have revealed a number of people bearing the name Morrison or a variant listed above:

Morrison Settlers in the United States in the 17th Century


  • Henry Morrison, who landed in Virginia in 1648
  • Francis Morrison settled in Virginia in 1650
  • Donald Morrison, who landed in New Jersey in 1685

Morrison Settlers in the United States in the 18th Century


  • Hannah Morrison, who landed in North Carolina in 1701
  • Jane Morrison, who landed in New England in 1738
  • Charles Morrison, who landed in Virginia in 1760
  • Darby Morrison, who landed in Boston, Mass in 1766
  • Daniel Morrison who settled in Boston in 1767


Morrison Settlers in the United States in the 19th Century


  • Benjamin Morrison, aged 23, arrived in New York in 1804
  • Daniel Morrison, aged 33, arrived in New York in 1804
  • John Morrison, who arrived in Charleston, SC in 1807
  • Martha Morrison, who landed in Philadelphia, Pa in 1811
  • Elizabeth Morrison, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pa in 1811


 More

  • Marion Michael Morrison (1907-1979), Academy Award-winning American film actor better known as John Wayne
  • James Douglas "Jim" Morrison (1943-1971), American poet, singer, member of rock band "the Doors"
  • Jeanette Helen Morrison (1927-2004), original name of Janet Leigh, Academy Award-nominated and Golden Globe-winning American actress
  • Toni Chloe Anthony Morrison (b. 1931), American author and one of the most prominent authors in world literature, having won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1988 for her novel "Beloved" and the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993 for her collected works
  • John H. Morrison (b. 1933), former President of the Association of American Rhodes Scholars
  • Robert Morrison (1782-1834), Scottish scholar
  • Van Morrison OBE (b. 1945), born George Ivan Morrison, Northern Irish rock singer, winner of six Grammy Awards, and was inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the Songwriters Hall of Fame
  • George Pitt Morrison (1861-1946), Australian painter and engraver
  • MacAulay Morrison (1863-1942), Canadian lawyer, politician, appointed a judge of the British Columbia Supreme Court in 1904
  • William Shepherd Morrison (1893-1961), Viscount Dunrossil, British politician, speaker of British House of Commons (1951-1959) and Governor-general of Australia (1959-1961)

 More

 More

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: Dun eistein
Motto Translation: Castle Eistein.

 More


Morrison Clan Badge
Morrison Clan Badge

Buy JPG Image

A clan is a social group made up of a number of distinct branch-families that actually descended from, or accepted themselves as descendants of, a common ancestor. The word clan means simply children. The idea of the clan as a community is necessarily based around this idea of heredity and is most often ruled according to a patriarchal structure. For instance, the clan chief represented the hereditary "parent" of the entire clan. The most prominent example of this form of society is the Scottish Clan system...

 More

Septs of the Distinguished Name Morrison
Brieve, Gillmar, Gillmer, Gillmoor, Gillmoore, Gillmor, Gillmore, Gillmour, Gilmar, Gilmer, Gilmoor, Gilmoore, Gilmor, Gilmore, Gilmour, Juddes, Jude, Judes, Judge, Judges, Juge, Kilmore, MacBrieve, MacGhilleMhoire, McGhilleMhoire, Morieson, Morison, Morisson, Morrieson, Morrison, Morrisson, Morson and more.

 More

Popular Family Crest Products
 
Morrison Armorial History With Coat of Arms
Morrison Coat of Arms & Surname History Package
Morrison Family Crest Image (jpg) Heritage Series
Morrison Coat of Arms/Family Crest Key-chain
Morrison Coat of Arms/Family Crest Coffee Mug
Morrison Armorial History with Frame
Morrison Framed Surname History and Coat of Arms
More Family Crest Products
 More

 More

  1. Chadwick, Nora Kershaw and J.X.W.P Corcoran. The Celts. London: Penguin, 1970. Print. (ISBN 0140212116).
  2. Scarlett, James D. Tartan The Highland Textile. London: Shepheard-Walwyn, 1990. Print. (ISBN 0-85683-120-4).
  3. Crozier, William Armstrong Edition. Crozier's General Armory A Registry of American Families Entitled to Coat Armor. New York: Fox, Duffield, 1904. Print.
  4. Bain, Robert. The Clans and Tartans of Scotland. Glasgow & London: Collins, 1968. Print. (ISBN 000411117-6).
  5. Innes, Thomas and Learney. Scots Heraldry A Practical Handbook on the Historical Principles and Mordern Application of the Art and Science. London: Oliver and Boyd, 1934. Print.
  6. Weis, Frederick Lewis, Walter Lee Sheppard and David Faris. Ancestral Roots of Sixty Colonists Who Came to New England Between 1623 and 1650 7th Edition. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0806313676).
  7. Burke, Sir Bernard. Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Peerage and Baronetage, The Privy Council, Knightage and Compainonage. London: Burke Publishing, 1921. Print.
  8. Warner, Philip Warner. Famous Scottish Battles. New York: Barnes and Noble, 1996. Print. (ISBN 0-76070-004-4).
  9. Bowman, George Ernest. The Mayflower Reader A Selection of Articales from The Mayflower Descendent. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing. Print.
  10. Holt, J.C. Ed. Domesday Studies. Woodbridge: Boydell, 1987. Print. (ISBN 0-85115-477-8).
  11. ...

The Morrison Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Morrison Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.

This page was last modified on 4 May 2012 at 02:56.

©2000-2012 Swyrich Corporation. See Terms of Use for details.
houseofnames.com is an internet property owned by Swyrich Corporation.


Tools



100% SATISFACTION GUARANTEE - no headaches!