Show ContentsMaurrain History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Maurrain was spawned from the landscape of northern France known as Normandy during the Middle Ages. It comes from the popular Old French given name Maurice.

Early Origins of the Maurrain family

The surname Maurrain was first found in Normandy (French: Normandie), the former Duchy of Normandy, where the family has held a family seat from ancient times.

The most unusual descendant of this family was Simon Morin, a visionary, who proclaimed himself as the Son of God and as a result was burned alive in 1663. Several essays were written on him. Two other well known members were Etienne (1625-1700), who was an Orientalist and a Calvinist minister, and Abbot Louis Morin (1636-1715), who was a respected physician and botanist, and a member of the Academy of the Sciences.

Pierre Morin was born in Normandy in 1639. He came to New France and married Marie Martin at Port-Royal, Acadia in 1661. They eventually settled in Beaubassin, Quebec, where Pierre died in 1690. Pierre and Marie had at least twelve children together that carried on the family name of Morin. 1

Early History of the Maurrain family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Maurrain research. Another 87 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1484, 1499, 1583, 1591, 1630, 1642, 1656, 1659, 1677, 1702 and 1745 are included under the topic Early Maurrain History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Maurrain Spelling Variations

French surnames were subject to numerous spelling alterations depending on the region and time it was used. The early development of the French language relied heavily on borrowing elements and grammar from other languages. For example, Old French was infused with Germanic words and sounds when barbarian tribes invaded and settled in France after the fall of the Roman Empire. Middle French also borrowed heavily from the Italian language during the Renaissance. As a result of these linguistic and cultural influences, the name Maurrain is distinguished by a number of regional variations. The many spelling variations of the name include Morin, Morins, Morrin, Morrins, Morain, Morains, Morrain, Morrains, Maurin, Maurrin, Maurain, Maurrain, Moren, Morren, Morein, Morrein, de Morin and many more.

Early Notables of the Maurrain family

Another 43 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Maurrain Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Maurrain family

In 1643, 109 years after the first landings by Cartier, there were only about 300 people in Quebec. Migration was slow. The fur trade attracted migrants, both noble and commoner. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec. By the same year the French Acadian presence in the Maritimes had reached 500. The French founded Lower Canada, thus becoming one of the two great founding nations of Canada. The family name Maurrain has made many distinguished contributions in France and New France to the world of science, culture, religion, and education. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Maurrain were Andrew Morin settled in Philadelphia in 1847; Daniell Morin settled in Pennsylvania in 1685; James Morin, aged 22; settled in New York City in 1822; John Morin settled in Philadelphia in 1851.



  1. Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print


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