More History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
There are several distinct sources of the More 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 More is derived from the personal name "More," which is itself derived from the Old French word "maur," meaning "Moor."
Early Origins of the More family
The surname More 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 More family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our More 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 More History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
More Spelling Variations
Since church officials and medieval scribes spelt each name as it sounded to them; as a result, a single person could accumulate many different versions of his name within official records. A close examination of the origins of the name More revealed the following spelling variations: 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 More family
Notable amongst the family up to this time was
- Rory O'More (d. 1557) and his son Rory Og O'More, who were both Irish leaders in the wars against the English (Tudor) Kings
- 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
- Rory "Roger" More (c. 1620-1655), a member of the Leix sept, was prominent in the Irish Rebellion of 1641
More World Ranking
In the United States, the name More is the 5,396th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 4 However, in France, the name More is ranked the 6,952nd most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 5 And in South Africa, the name More is the 724th popular surname with an estimated 9,453 people with that name. 6
More migration to the United States +
Ireland's Great Potato Famine left the country's inhabitants in extreme poverty and starvation. Many families left their homeland for North America for the promise of work, freedom and land ownership. Although the Irish were not free of economic and racial discrimination in North America, they did contribute greatly to the rapid development of bridges, canals, roads, and railways. Eventually, they would be accepted in other areas such as commerce, education, and the arts. An examination of immigration and passenger lists revealed many bearing the name More:
More Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- Mr. Leonard More, (Moore) who arrived in Virginia in 1619 aboard the ship "Bona Nova" 7
- Mr. John More, aged 36, who arrived in Virginia in 1619 aboard the ship "Bona Nova" 8
- Miss Mary More, (1616-1621), who arrived in Plymouth in 1620 aboard the ship "Mayflower" 8
- Mr. William More, (1616-1621), who arrived in Plymouth in 1620 aboard the ship "Mayflower" 8
- Jasper More, (b. 1613), who died aboard the "Mayflower" in 1620 at Cape Cod Harbor, Massachusetts and was believed to be buried ashore 7
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
More Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Agnis More, who arrived in Virginia in 1714 7
- Joanna More, who landed in Virginia in 1714 7
- Mary More, who arrived in Virginia in 1714 7
- Ralph More, who landed in Virginia in 1714 7
- Susanna More, who landed in Virginia in 1714 7
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
More Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Antonio More, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1811 7
- Francisca More, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1822 7
- Thomas More, aged 40, who landed in America in 1822 7
- John More, who arrived in New York, NY in 1829 7
- J W More, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 7
More migration to Canada +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
More Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
- Mr. Sylvester More U.E., (Mose) who settled in Edwardsburgh-Cardinal, Leeds & Grenville, Ontario c. 1786 9
More migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
More Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- James A. More, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Alice Brooks" in 1839 10
- James More, aged 33, Scottish convict from Perth, who was transported aboard the "Adelaide" on April 16, 1855, settling in Western Australia 11
More 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:
More Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
- Miss Honora More, (b. 1850), aged 19, British dairymaid travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Hydaspes" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 30th September 1869 12
More 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.
13More Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
- Mr. John More, (b. 1606), aged 28, British settler travelling from London, UK arriving in St Christopher (St. Kitts) on 5th January 1634 7
- Mr. John More, (b. 1604), aged 30, British settler travelling from London, UK arriving in St Christopher (St. Kitts) on 5th January 1634 7
- Mr. Alexander More, aged 24, British settler travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "Hopewell" arriving in Barbados on 17th February 1634 7
- Miss Suzan More, (b. 1614), aged 21, British settler travelling from London, England aboard the ship "Anne and Elizabeth" arriving in Barbados in 1635 14
- Mr. Thomas More, (b. 1602), aged 33, British settler travelling from London, England aboard the ship "Alexander" arriving in Barbados in 1635 15
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Contemporary Notables of the name More (post 1700) +
- Michael More, American Republican politician, Member of Montana State House of Representatives 70th District; Elected 2010 16
- Lena Gay More, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Texas, 1932, 1936, 1940, 1944; Member of Republican National Committee from Texas, 1940 16
- Jonas More, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Delaware County, 1839 16
- John T. More, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Delaware County, 1806-08, 1809-10, 1813-14; Member of New York State Senate Middle District, 1819-22 16
- John E. More, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Michigan State Senate 16th District, 1910 16
- Jake More, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Iowa, 1940, 1944, 1948, 1952; Iowa Democratic State Chair, 1945-49, 1955-58 16
- Enoch H. More, American politician, Member of New Jersey State Senate from Cumberland County, 1845-46 16
- Ellsworth B. More (1890-1950), American Republican politician, Member of Michigan State Board of Agriculture, 1948-50 16
- Elijah A. More, American politician, Mayor of Little Rock, Arkansas, 1834 16
- David More, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1920 16
- ... (Another 10 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Historic Events for the More family +
- Miss Florentina Duran y More, aged 30, Spanish Second Class passenger from Barcelona, Spain who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking escaping on life boat 12 17
- Miss Asunción Duran y More, aged 27, Spanish Second Class passenger from Barcelona, Spain who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking escaping on life boat 12 17
The More 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/
- http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
- "Most Common Last Names in South Africa." Forebears, https://forebears.io/south-africa/surnames
- 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)
- Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's Retrieved January 6th 2023, retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
- 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
- State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) ALICE BROOKS 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839AliceBrooks.gif
- State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 17) Adelaide voyage to Western Australia, Australia in 1855 with 261 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/adelaide/1855
- New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
- Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's. Retrieved 23rd September 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
- Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's retrieved 28th September 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
- Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html
