Contents [hide]

Moor History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Moor History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany
Ireland
Scotland

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

Early Origins of the Moor family

The surname Moor 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 Moor family

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

Moor Spelling Variations

It was found during an investigation of the origins of the name Moor that church officials and medieval scribes often spelled the name as it sounded. This practice lead to a single person's being documented under many spelling variations. The name Moor has existed in the various shapes: 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 Moor family

Notable amongst the family up to this time was

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
John Moore (c.1767-1799) was an Irish statesman and rebel leader in the rebellion of 1798, he was President of the Republic of Connaught, before being captured by the English

Moor Ranking

In the United States, the name Moor is the 10,449^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4

Moor migration to the United States +

In the 1840s, Ireland experienced a mass exodus to North America due to the Great Potato Famine. These families wanted to escape from hunger and disease that was ravaging their homeland. With the promise of work, freedom and land overseas, the Irish looked upon British North America and the United States as a means of hope and prosperity. Those that survived the journey were able to achieve this through much hard work and perseverance. Early immigration and passenger lists revealed many bearing the name Moor:

Moor Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas Moor, who landed in New Hampshire in 1630 5
Henry Moor, who landed in Maryland in 1649 5
Jane Moor, who landed in Maryland in 1652-1653 5
Roger Moor, who landed in Maryland in 1652-1653 5
Ann Moor, who landed in Maryland in 1652-1653 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Moor Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Margaret Moor, who arrived in Virginia in 1701 5
Rebecca Moor, who landed in Virginia in 1703 5
Gilbert Moor, who arrived in Virginia in 1705 5
Andreas Moor, who arrived in New York in 1709 5
Henrich Moor, who arrived in New York, NY in 1710 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Moor Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Gabriel Moor, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1812 5
James Moor, aged 23, who arrived in Delaware in 1812 5
Samuel D Moor, aged 27, who landed in New York, NY in 1821 5
Lewis Moor, aged 22, who landed in America in 1822 5
Johannes Moor, who arrived in Texas in 1840-1850 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Moor migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Moor Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Mosa Moor U.E. who settled in Eastern District [Cornwall], Ontario c. 1784 he served in Jessups Rangers 6
Mr. Thomas Moor U.E. who settled in Kingston, Kings County, New Brunswick c. 1784 6
Mr. William Moor U.E. who settled in Adolphus Town [Adolphustown], Ontario c. 1786 he was in the Works, Engineers Department 6

Moor Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Richard Moor, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1825
Mary Mullany Moor, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1831

Moor migration to Australia +

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

Moor Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Edward Moor, British Convict who was convicted in Newark (Newark-on-Trent), Nottinghamshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Batavia" in October 1817, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
Mr. William Moor, British Convict who was convicted in Newark (Newark-on-Trent), Nottinghamshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Batavia" in October 1817, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
Mr. Joseph Moor, English convict who was convicted in York, Yorkshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Asiatic" on 5th June 1819, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
Mr. John Moor, English convict who was convicted in North Riding, Yorkshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Dromedary" on 11th September 1819, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
Robert Moor, English convict from York, who was transported aboard the "Albion" on May 29, 1828, settling in New South Wales, Australia 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Moor 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:

Moor Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Simon Moor, (b. 1860), aged 19, Scottish farm labourer, from Orkney travelling from Clyde aboard the ship "Nelson" arriving in Invercargill, Southland, South Island, New Zealand on 28th August 1879 11
Sarah Moor, aged 34, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "S. S. Rimutaka" in 1886
Henry R. Moor, aged 11, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "S. S. Rimutaka" in 1886
Thomas Moor, aged 10, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "S. S. Rimutaka" in 1886
Emma M. Moor, aged 8, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "S. S. Rimutaka" in 1886
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Moor (post 1700) +

Wyman Bradbury Seavy Moor (1811-1869), American politician and lawyer, United States Senator from Maine in 1848
Terry Moor (b. 1952), American former tennis player
Drew Moor (b. 1984), American professional soccer player
William Moor (b. 1765), English sailor and explorer associated with the Hudson’s Bay Company
Ian John Moor (b. 1974), English singer
Henry Moor (1809-1877), English lawyer and politician who emigrated to Australia in 1842 where he became Mayor of Melbourne (1842-1854)
George Raymond Dallas Moor VC, MC & Bar (1896-1918), Australian soldier, recipient of the Victoria Cross for his actions on 5th June, 1915
Edward Moor (1771-1848), British soldier and Indologist, known for his book The Hindu Pantheon, Fellow of the Royal Society in 1806
Davey Ray Moor, Australian-born, England-based songwriter, singer, multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer
Benedict "Ben" Moor (b. 1969), English comedy writer and actor
... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Moor family +

RMS Titanic

Mrs. Beila Moor, aged 29, Russian Third Class passenger from Romania who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and survived in the sinking in life boat 14 12
Master Meier Moor, aged 7, Russian Third Class passenger from Romania who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and survived in the sinking in life boat 14 12

SS Atlantic

Eliz. Moor, who was traveling aboard the ship "SS Atlantic" when it struck rocks off Nova Scotia in 1873, died in the sinking
Mr. Patrick Moor, British traveler who was aboard the ship "SS Atlantic" when it struck rocks off Nova Scotia in 1873, survived the sinking

The Moor 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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/batavia
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dromedary
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 24) Albion voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1828 with 192 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/albion/1828
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html