Morredge History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Wales

This old Welsh surname comes from the Latin personal name Mauritius, which means dark. In Britain, Maurice was the learned form of the name, while Morice was the common form. The surname Morris was likely also assumed as a surname after being a nickname for a dark or swarthy person.

Early Origins of the Morredge family

The surname Morredge was first found in Herefordshire, where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Morredge family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Morredge research. Another 115 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1660, 1663, 1670, 1672 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Morredge History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Morredge Spelling Variations

Welsh surnames are relatively few in number, but they have an inordinately large number of spelling variations. There are many factors that explain the preponderance of Welsh variants, but the earliest is found during the Middle Ages when Welsh surnames came into use. Scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, which often resulted in a single person's name being inconsistently recorded over his lifetime. The transliteration of Welsh names into English also accounts for many of the spelling variations: the unique Brythonic Celtic language of the Welsh had many sounds the English language was incapable of accurately reproducing. It was also common for members of a same surname to change their names slightly, in order to signify a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations. For all of these reasons, the many spelling variations of particular Welsh names are very important. The surname Morredge has occasionally been spelled Morris, Morriss, Moriss, Morrice, Morice, Moris and others.

Early Notables of the Morredge family

Another 47 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Morredge Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Morredge family to Ireland

Some of the Morredge family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 68 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Morredge family

In the 1800s and 1900s, many Welsh families left for North America, in search of land, work, and freedom. Those who made the trip successfully helped contribute to the growth of industry, commerce, and the cultural heritage of both Canada and the United States. In the immigration and passenger lists were a number of people bearing the name Morredge Patrick Morris who settled in Philadelphia in 1852; George Morris settled in Virginia in 1774; Humphrey Morris settled in Barbados in 1635; Jenkin Morris settled in Virginia in 1635.