| ![Show Contents]() Morice History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Etymology of MoriceWhat does the name Morice mean? The Morice 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 Morice familyThe surname Morice 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 Morice familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Morice 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 Morice History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Morice Spelling VariationsAlthough there are comparatively few Welsh surnames, they have a great many spelling variations. Variations of Welsh names began almost immediately after their acceptance within Welsh society. In the Middle Ages, it was up to priests and the few other people that recorded names in official documents to decide how to spell the names that they heard. Variations that occurred because of improper recording increased dramatically as the names were later transliterated into English. The Brythonic Celtic language of Wales, known by natives as Cymraeg, featured many highly inflected sounds that could not be properly captured by the English language. Spelling variations were, however, also carried out according to an individual's design: a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations were all indicated by the particular variation of one's name. The spelling variations of the name Morice have included Maurice, Morrice, Morice, Morys and others. Early Notables of the Morice family- Sir William Morice, 1st Baronet (c.1628-1690), from Werrington, Devon, an English Member of Parliament
- Sir William Morice (1602-1676), an English statesman and theologian, Secretary of State for the Northern Department and a Lord of the Treasury (1660 to 1668)
Morice RankingFrance, the name Morice is the 553rd most popular surname with an estimated 8,431 people with that name. 1 Migration of the Morice family to IrelandSome of the Morice 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.
| Morice migration to the United States | + |
Many Welsh joined the great migrations to North America in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Like their Scottish and Irish neighbors, many Welsh families left their homeland hoping to find hope and prosperity in a land that the English did not exercise a tight rule over. Those Welsh immigrants that successfully traveled to North America went on to make significant contributions to the rapid development of both Canada and the United States in terms of the settling of land and the establishment of industry. They also added to the rich cultural heritage of both countries. An examination into the immigration and passenger lists has discovered a number of people bearing the name Morice:
Morice Settlers in United States in the 17th Century- John Morice, who landed in America in 1654
Morice Settlers in United States in the 18th Century- Philip Morice, who landed in Virginia in 1711 2
- Marguerite Morice, who arrived in Louisiana in 1719 2
Morice Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- George Morice, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 2
| Contemporary Notables of the name Morice (post 1700) | + |
- H. Morice, American politician, U.S. Consular Agent in Swansea, 1862-66 3
- Professor Peter Beaumont Morice,
- Tara Morice, Australian actress, singer, and dancer
- Sir William Morice (1628-1690), 1st Baronet, English royalist statesman
- Admiral of the Fleet Sir Charles Morice Pole (1757-1830), 1st Baronet, English naval officer and Colonial Governor of Newfoundland (1800-1801)
- Morice Benin (1947-2021), born Moïse Ben-Haïm, a French singer-songwriter
- http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
- 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)
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 25) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
 |
