Contents [hide]

Moir History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Moir History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland
Scotland

There are several distinct sources of the Moir 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 Moir is derived from the personal name "More," which is itself derived from the Old French word "maur," meaning "Moor."

Early Origins of the Moir family

The surname Moir 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 Moir family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Moir 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 Moir History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Moir Spelling Variations

Since church officials and medieval scribes spelt each name as it sounded to them; as a result, a single person could accumulate many different versions of his name within official records. A close examination of the origins of the name Moir revealed the following spelling variations: 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 Moir 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 Moir Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Moir Ranking

In the United States, the name Moir is the 13,975^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4 However, in New Zealand, the name Moir is ranked the 774^th most popular surname with an estimated 946 people with that name. 5

Moir migration to the United States +

Ireland's Great Potato Famine left the country's inhabitants in extreme poverty and starvation. Many families left their homeland for North America for the promise of work, freedom and land ownership. Although the Irish were not free of economic and racial discrimination in North America, they did contribute greatly to the rapid development of bridges, canals, roads, and railways. Eventually, they would be accepted in other areas such as commerce, education, and the arts. An examination of immigration and passenger lists revealed many bearing the name Moir:

Moir Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

James Moir, who settled in Boston in 1651
Elizabeth Moir, who arrived in Virginia in 1684

Moir Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Moir, who settled in Boston in 1703
James Moir, who landed in North Carolina in 1739 6
Henry Moir, who was banished to America from 1748
Alexander Moir, who arrived in West Indies in 1766
Andrew, Jane, and James Moir, who all, who settled in Maryland in 1774

Moir Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Moir, who arrived in New York in 1835 6
Charles Moir, aged 37, who arrived in New York in 1868 6
Joseph and Robert Moir, who settled in Philadelphia in 1874
Geoge Moir, who landed in Arkansas in 1891 6

Moir migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Moir Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Agnes Moir, who arrived in Montreal in 1825

Moir Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

H Moir, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1907

Moir migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Moir Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Matilda Moir, Scottish convict from Aberdeen, who was transported aboard the "Arab" on December 14, 1835, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 7

Moir migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Moir Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. A. Moir, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Palmyra" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 19th February 1858 8
Mrs. Moir, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Palmyra" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 19th February 1858 8
Child Moir, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Palmyra" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 19th February 1858 8
Miss Isabella Moir, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Sevilla" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 2nd December 1859 8
Walter Moir, aged 27, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Maori" in 1864
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Moir (post 1700) +

Charles "Charlie" Moir (1930-2019), American college basketball coach, inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 2000
John Moir (1915-1975), Scottish-born American professional basketball player
Percy M. Moir, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Philippine Islands, 1920, 1924 (alternate) 9
John T. Moir, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Hawaii Territory, 1912 9
James Moir, American Republican politician, Presidential Elector for Pennsylvania, 1900 9
John Kinmont Moir (b. 1893), Australian, collector of literature and photographs, known as the Moir collection, now at the Victoria
Sir Christopher Ernest Moir (b. 1955), English peer, 4th Baronet Moir of Whitehanger, County of Sussex
Scott Moir (b. 1987), Canadian ice dancer, he and Tessa Virtue are the 2010 Olympic champions, the 2010 and 2012 World Champions, the 2008 & 2012 Four Continents Champions, the 2006 World Junior Champions
Sheri Moir (b. 1981), Canadian figure skater
Rob Moir, Canadian professor of economics
... (Another 7 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Moir family +

Empress of Ireland

Mrs. Euphemia Sanders Moir (1881-1914), née Prior Canadian Second Class Passenger from Toronto, Ontario, Canada who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 10

Halifax Explosion

Miss Dorothy Lilian Moir (1911-1917), Canadian resident from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada who survived the Halifax Explosion (1917) but later died due to injuries 11

The Moir 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/
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
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)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Arab voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1835 with 132 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/arab/1835
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance