Contents [hide]

Mower History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Mower History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

There are several distinct sources of the Mower surname in Ireland. Most of the name find their roots with the Anglo-Norman "Strongbow" invasion of the 12th century. Many of these became de Mora. Others derived from the Old Irish "O Mordha," from the word "mordha," meaning "stately," or "noble." 1 The English surname Mower is derived from the personal name "More," which is itself derived from the Old French word "maur," meaning "Moor."

Early Origins of the Mower family

The surname Mower was first found in Munster, where the name was firmly established shortly after the Strongbow invasion of Ireland in 1172. 1

'Aimergin Ua Mordha, A.D. 1026.' O'Mordha is Anglicised O'More and More, which has now usually become Moore, The O'Mores were a powerful sept in Ireland." 2

"Donal Mór (d. 1194), son of Turlough, was the last King of North Munster. " 3 The Guinness or MacGunness family claim descent from Cionga, son of Rory Mór and had a similar coat of arms complete with a gold lion on a green shield denoting their heritage.

Moore or O'Moore were the hereditary Lords of Leix. Of this branch was Charles O'More who had a younger brother named Rory Oge who in 1587 was slain by the English.

The Moores of Rahinduffe, Queen's County are a branch of this previous family. Of note was Anthony O'Moore who joined with the O'Neills and defeated the English army in 1598. 3

Early History of the Mower family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mower research. Another 124 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1557, 1600, 1620, 1621, 1627, 1641, 1655, 1700, 1703, 1706, 1729, 1730, 1767, 1791, 1795, 1798, 1799 and 1822 are included under the topic Early Mower History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mower Spelling Variations

Church officials and medieval scribes often simply spelled names as they sounded. As a result, a single person's name may have been recorded a dozen different ways during his lifetime. Spelling variations for the name Mower include: Moore, More, Moor, O'More, Moores, Mores, McMore, Moire, Moare, MacMoore, McMoir, Moir, Moors, O'Moore, O'Moire, McMoare, MacMoir, MacMoare, Mooer and many more.

Early Notables of the Mower family

Notable amongst the family up to this time was Rory O'More (d. 1557) and his son Rory Og O'More, who were both Irish leaders in the wars against the English (Tudor) Kings; Rory O'Moore (Roger O'Moore, O'More, Sir Roger Moore) (c.1600-1655), an Irish landowner of ancient lineage, most notable for being one of the four principal organizers of the Irish Rebellion of 1641; Rory "Roger" More...
Another 66 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Mower Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mower Ranking

In the United States, the name Mower is the 12,368^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4

Mower migration to the United States +

The Irish emigration during the late 18th and 19th century contributed to the melting pot of nationalities in North America, and the building of a whole new era of industry and commerce in what was seen as a rich, new land. Ireland'sGreat Potato Famine resulted in the worst economic and social conditions in the island's history. And in response to the hunger, disease, and poverty, during this decade the total number of emigrants to leave for North America rivaled all the previous years combined. Those from this decade that arrived on North American shores were not warmly welcomed by the established population, but they were vital to the rapid development of the industry, agriculture, and infrastructure of the infant nations of the United States and what would become Canada. Research into early immigration and passenger lists has shown many people bearing the name Mower:

Mower Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Richard Mower, who arrived in Salem, Massachusetts in 1642
Daniel Mower, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1685 5

Mower Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Jurick Mower, who landed in New York in 1715-1716 5
Hans Geo Mower, aged 23, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1743 5

Mower Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

B W Mower, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1855 5
Jacob Mower, who arrived in Illinois in 1856-1864 5
Peter Mower, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1874 5
Piero Mower, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1874 5
A. Mower, aged 43, who immigrated to America from London, in 1892
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Mower Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Elsa Mower, who immigrated to the United States, in 1907
Dorothea Mower, aged 28, who landed in America from England, London, in 1908
Ernest Frank Mower, aged 31, who settled in America from Clacton, England, in 1911
Alice Mower, aged 27, who landed in America from Sevenokes, England, in 1911
Cyril Frank Mower, aged 3, who settled in America from Clacton, England, in 1912
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Mower (post 1700) +

Morton Mower (1933-2022), American cardiologist and the co-inventor of the automatic implantable cardioverter defibrillator, inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame (2002)
Caryn Mower (b. 1965), retired American professional wrestler actress, and stuntwoman
Charles Mower (1875-1942), American yacht designer and author
Jack Mower (1890-1965), American film actor
John Edward Mower (1815-1879), American politician, member of Minnesota territorial legislature in the 1850s, eponym of Mower County
Joseph A. Mower (1827-1870), Union general during the American Civil War, known as "Fighting Joe"
John E. Mower, American politician, Member of Minnesota State House of Representatives 22nd District, 1875. Mower County, Minnesota is named for him 6
C. M. Mower, American politician, Burgess of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, 1933-35 6
Betsy A. Mower, American Republican politician, Postmaster at New London, Connecticut, 1870-78 6
Liam Mower (b. 1992), English actor and dancer, shared the lead role in the original London cast of Billy Elliot the Musical, youngest person to win a Laurence Olivier Award
... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Mower 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: Conlan-a-bu
Motto Translation: Conlan forever.

Citations +

MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
Moore, A.W., Manx Names. London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1906. Print
O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)
"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 20) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html