Morritch 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 Morritch family

The surname Morritch 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 Morritch family

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

Morritch 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 Morritch has seen various spelling variations: Morris, Morriss, Moriss, Morrice, Morice, Moris and others.

Early Notables of the Morritch family

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

Migration of the Morritch family to Ireland

Some of the Morritch 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 Morritch family

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 Morritch: 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.