Mora History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Italy
Spain

Noble surnames, such as Mora, evoke images of the ancient homeland of the Spanish people. The original bearer of the name Mora, which is a local surname, once lived, held land, or was born in the beautiful region of Spain. This noble Spanish family lived near a mulBerry or blackberry bush. Thus, Mora is a topographic surname, which is the type of local surname that was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. The name was originally derived from the Spanish word "mora," which means "mulberry."

Early Origins of the Mora family

The surname Mora was first found in Castile, prominent among the Christian kingdoms of medieval Spain.

Early History of the Mora family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mora research. Another 70 words (5 lines of text) covering the year 1232 is included under the topic Early Mora History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mora Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Morales, Moral, Morilla, Morillas, Moraleda and others.

Early Notables of the Mora family

Prominent among members of the family

were sixteenth century Spanish painter Luis de Morales
sixteenth century Spanish poet and painter Jerónimo de Mora
sixteenth century Spanish historian Ambrosio de Morales y Oliva
seventeenth century Spanish playwright Cristóbal de Morales
seventeenth century Spanish nobleman and court official Lope de Morales
seventeenth century Spanish architect Francisco Mora
nineteenth century Spanish actress and singer Manuela Morales
nineteenth century Mexican statesman and historian José María Luis Mora
nineteenth century Costa Rican President Joaquín Mora
José Joaquín de Mora, nineteenth century Spanish literary critic

Mora Ranking

In the United States, the name Mora is the 1,039^th most popular surname with an estimated 29,844 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Mora is ranked the 659^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,193 people with that name. 2

Mora migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Mora Settlers in United States in the 16th Century

Francisco de Mora, who immigrated to Peru in 1560 with his wife Luisa Jerónima
Alonso de Mora, settled in New Granada in 1565

Mora Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Fernando De Mora, who landed in America in 1812 3
Alonso De Mora, who landed in America in 1817 3
Francisca Mora, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1822 3
Gonzalo De Mora, who landed in America in 1828 3
Feliz DeLa Mora, aged 44, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1829 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Mora (post 1700) +

Sergio Mora (b. 1980), Mexican-American boxer and former World Boxing Council light middleweight champion
Jim L. Mora (b. 1961), American former NFL head coach, son of Jim E. Mora
Jim E. Mora (b. 1935), American former NFL and UFL head coach
F. Luis Mora (1874-1940), Hispanic American artist and illustrator
Víctor Mora (1931-2016), Spanish comic book writer
Sergio Mora Sánchez (b. 1979), Spanish footballer
José Francisco Mora (b. 1981), Spanish footballer
Jorge Aguilar Mora (1946-2024), Mexican born essayist, novelist, poet, professor and literary critic
Barry Mora (1939-2021), New Zealand classical baritone, active from the mid-1970s through the 1990s, member of the board at The NBR New Zealand Opera
Christiane Mora (1938-2017), French politician, Mayor of Loches (1989-1995)
... (Another 19 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Mora family +

St. Francis Dam

Mr. Juan Mora, (Jose Martinez), Mexican born American resident in Santa Clarita killed when the St. Francis Dam failed and flooded the area in 1928

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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)