Show ContentsMorrice History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Morrice surname comes from an Old French personal name introduced to Britain by the Normans. The Latin version was Mauritius. It is also thought that the name may have been taken on as a nickname for a Moor, or someone of a dark complexion, who was not actually a Moor.

Early Origins of the Morrice family

The surname Morrice was first found in Herefordshire, where tradition, according to the historian Ormerod, finds the family name to be descended from Athelstan Glodrydd, Godson of Athelstan, the King of England who founded the four Royal tribes of Wales, and on his mother's side descended from Caradoc Vriechfras, Lord of Hereford, one of the knights of the Round Table. Descended was Hoedliw Goch ap Rhys, Gwrgenau ap Hoedliw Goch, Grono ap Gwrgenau, Griffith ap Grono, Madoc ap Griffith, Howel ap Madoc, Phillip Dorddu ap Howel, Cadwgan second son of Phillip and so on, to Morys ap Morgan. Descended was Evan Maurice who was the youngest son of Maurice ap Morgan who migrated to Kent, his son Sir William Maurice acquired the estates of the village of Chuston in West Putford.

Early History of the Morrice family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Morrice research. Another 104 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1279, 1379, 1552, 1582, 1591, 1593, 1597, 1602, 1604, 1611, 1622, 1626, 1628, 1634, 1647, 1660, 1666, 1668, 1676, 1682, 1690, 1691 and 1702 are included under the topic Early Morrice History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Morrice Spelling Variations

Although there are not an extremely large number Welsh surnames, there are an inordinately large number of spelling variations of those surnames. This variety of spellings began almost immediately after the acceptance of surnames within Welsh society. As time progressed, these old Brythonic names were eventually were recorded in English. This process was problematic in that many of the highly inflected sounds of the native language of Wales could not be properly captured in English. Some families, however, did decide to modify their own names to indicate a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even a patriotic affiliation. The name Morrice has seen various spelling variations: Maurice, Morrice, Morice, Morys and others.

Early Notables of the Morrice family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was Sir William Maurice (1552-1622), Welsh politician, Member of Parliament for Carnarvonshire (1593-1597) and (1604-1611), High Sheriff of Caernarvonshire (1582) and High Sheriff of Merionethshire (1591); David Maurice (1626-1702), a Welsh Anglican priest and translator, Canon of St Asaph in 1666; Henry Maurice (1634-1682), a Welsh Anglican priest who later became...
Another 59 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Morrice Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Morrice family to Ireland

Some of the Morrice family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Morrice migration to the United States +

The Welsh migration to North America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries contributed greatly to its rapid development. These migrants were in search of land, work, and freedom. Those Welsh families that survived the long ocean journey were critical to the development of new industries and factories, and to the quick settlement of land. They also added to an ever-growing rich cultural heritage. A search of the immigration and passenger lists has shown a number of people bearing the name Morrice:

Morrice Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Mr. Richard Morrice, (b. 1618), aged 17, British settler who arrived in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Abraham" [1]
  • William Morrice, who arrived in Virginia in 1639 [2]
  • Eliza Morrice, who arrived in Virginia in 1653 [2]
  • Rice Morrice, who arrived in Virginia in 1653 [2]
  • Peirce Morrice, who arrived in Virginia in 1655 [2]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Morrice Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • James Morrice, aged 49, who arrived in Maine in 1812 [2]
  • Charles David Morrice, who landed in Arkansas in 1892 [2]

Canada Morrice migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Morrice Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century
  • Thomas Morrice, who settled in Bonavista in 1676
Morrice Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
Morrice Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • James Morrice from Carnarvon, Wales, settled in Trinity Bay, Newfoundland in the early 1800s
  • John Morrice was a butcher in St. John's, Newfoundland at the time of his death in 1811 [3]
  • Ann Morrice, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1841
  • Thomas and Rowland Morrice from Belfast, Ireland, who arrived in St. John's, Newfoundland in 1845 [3]

New Zealand Morrice 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:

Morrice Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. W. Morrice, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Wild Deer" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 21st June 1871 [4]

West Indies Morrice migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. [5]
Morrice Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • Hugh Morrice, his wife Mary, and son Nocolas, settled in Barbados in 1678
Morrice Settlers in West Indies in the 18th Century
  • Ann Morrice, who settled in Barbados in 1742

Contemporary Notables of the name Morrice (post 1700) +

  • Rosella Morrice, American Republican politician, Candidate for Wisconsin State Assembly 16th District, 1972
  • James D. Morrice, American Republican politician, Chair of Lapeer County Republican Party, 1950 ; Candidate in primary for Michigan State House of Representatives from Lapeer County, 1960

RMS Lusitania
  • Mr. David Morrice, English Junior 6th Engineer from Walton, Liverpool, England, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking [6]


  1. Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's. Retrieved January 6th 2023 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
  2. 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)
  3. Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
  4. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  6. Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 7) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/


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