Morris 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 Morris family

The surname Morris 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 Morris family

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

Morris 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 Morris has occasionally been spelled Morris, Morriss, Moriss, Morrice, Morice, Moris and others.

Early Notables of the Morris family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was

Morris World Ranking

In the United States, the name Morris is the 53rd most popular surname with an estimated 310,875 people with that name. 1 However, in Canada, the name Morris is ranked the 140th most popular surname with an estimated 23,696 people with that name. 2 And in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Morris is the 116th popular surname with an estimated 304 people with that name. 3 Australia ranks Morris as 60th with 36,222 people. 4 New Zealand ranks Morris as 54th with 5,191 people. 5 The United Kingdom ranks Morris as 33rd with 99,474 people. 6 South Africa ranks Morris as 556th with 12,485 people. 7

Migration of the Morris family to Ireland

Some of the Morris 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.


Morris migration to the United States +

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 Morris

Morris Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
Morris Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
Morris Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
Morris Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Morris migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Morris Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
Morris Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Morris migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Morris Settlers in Australia in the 18th Century
Morris Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Morris 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:

Morris Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Morris 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. 20
Morris Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Morris (post 1700) +


Suggested Readings for the name Morris +
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