Contents [hide]

Morison History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Morison History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France
Ireland
Scotland-Alt
Scotland

The Morison family name was first used in ancient Scotland by people descended from Viking settlers. It is derived from the Gaelic MacGhillie Mhoire, meaning "son of the servant of St. Mary."

Early Origins of the Morison family

The surname Morison was first found in on the Isle of Lewis (Scottish Gaelic: Leòdhas), where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the early census rolls taken by the early Kings of Scotland to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.

Early History of the Morison family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Morison research. Another 263 words (19 lines of text) covering the years 1164, 1600, 1890, 1893, 1950 and 1961 are included under the topic Early Morison History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Morison Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Morrison, Morison, Morieson and many more.

Early Notables of the Morison family

More information is included under the topic Early Morison Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Morison Ranking

In the United States, the name Morison is the 14,230^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Morison family to Ireland

Some of the Morison family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 59 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Morison migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Morison Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Halbert Morison, who arrived in New England in 1718 2
Joseph Morison, who landed in New England in 1718 2
Martha Morison, who arrived in New England in 1718 2
David Morison, who landed in New England in 1719-1730 2
Samuel Morison, who landed in New England in 1723 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Morison Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Malcom Morison, aged 50, who arrived in North Carolina in 1812 2
Simon Morison, who arrived in Charleston, South Carolina in 1830 2
Thomas Morison, who landed in Charleston, South Carolina in 1841 2
James Morison, who arrived in Tippecanoe County, Ind in 1842 2

Morison migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Morison Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Cathn Morison, aged 22, who landed in Canada in 1812-1814
Matthew Morison, aged 20, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Perseus" in 1834
Hugh Morison, aged 19, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Perseus" in 1834
Ann Morison, aged 20, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Perseus" in 1834
Andrew Morison, aged 24, a carpenter, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Highlander" in 1834
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Morison migration to Australia +

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

Morison Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Morison, (Morrison), (b. 1816), aged 18, Scottish convict who was convicted in Perth, Scotland for life for manslaughter, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 27th September 1834, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 3
William Morison, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Forfarshire" in 1848 4

Morison 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:

Morison Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

J. Morison, British settler travelling from Portsmouth aboard the ship "Duke of Portland" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 13th October 1851 5
R. Morison, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ulcoats" in 1864

Morison 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. 6

Morison Settlers in West Indies in the 18th Century

Kenneth Morison, who arrived in Barbados in 1745 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Morison (post 1700) +

Rear Admiral Samuel Eliot Morison (1887-1976), American historian and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Eileen Patricia Augusta Fraser Morison (1915-2018), American stage and film actress and mezzo-soprano singer
Roderick Morison, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Sullivan County, 1879 7
Frank P. Morison, American Republican politician, Member of Maine State Senate 10th District, 1921-22 7
Patricia Morison (b. 1915), American stage and film actress and mezzo-soprano singer, best known for her leading role in the original production of Cole Porter's Kiss Me, Kate
James Rutherford Morison (1853-1939), British surgeon, known for his eponymous "Morison's pouch"
George Pitt Morison (1861-1946), Australian painter and engraver
John B. Morison (1923-1996), Canadian businessman and politician
Harriet Russell Morison (1862-1925), Irish-born, New Zealand tailoress, trade unionist, suffragist and public servant
James Augustus Cotter Morison (1832-1888), English essayist and historian from London
... (Another 11 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Morison 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: Sunt tria haec unum
Motto Translation: These three things are one

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) FORFARSHIRE 1848. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1848Forfarshire.htm
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
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 25) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html