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Morison History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Sources

Morison History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France
Ireland
Scotland-Alt
Scotland

Etymology of Morison

What does the name Morison mean?

The surname Morison and its variants are phonetic interpretations of the Irish name Ó Muirgheasain. 1 Over time, many of this name became known by the name Morrison; however the modern translation this Gaelic name is generally Bryson, and sometimes in County Mayo, Price. There is also an English surname Bryson, and no doubt some of them have emigrated to Ireland over the centuries.

Early Origins of the Morison family

The surname Morison was first found in Ulster (Irish: Ulaidh), in Counties Donegal and Derry, where it was first documented as Mrieson and other similar variants in the 17th century. O'Morison was listed in 1606 in County Donegal, as well as O'Mrisane in 1659, which was considered a principal name of the county by the census of that year. In the Diocese of Derry, Bishop Montgomery called the erenagh of Clonmany in Inishowen, Donatus O'Morison. 1

Early History of the Morison family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Morison research. More information is 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: Bryson, Briceson, Mrieson, O'Mrisane, O'Morison, Morison 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

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

Morison migration to the United States +

Morison Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Halbert Morison, who arrived in New England in 1718 3
Joseph Morison, who landed in New England in 1718 3
Martha Morison, who arrived in New England in 1718 3
David Morison, who landed in New England in 1719-1730 3
Samuel Morison, who landed in New England in 1723 3
... (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 3
Simon Morison, who arrived in Charleston, South Carolina in 1830 3
Thomas Morison, who landed in Charleston, South Carolina in 1841 3
James Morison, who arrived in Tippecanoe County, Ind in 1842 3

Morison migration to Canada +

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 +

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 4
William Morison, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Forfarshire" in 1848 5

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 6
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. 7

Morison Settlers in West Indies in the 18th Century

Kenneth Morison, who arrived in Barbados in 1745 3

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 8
Frank P. Morison, American Republican politician, Member of Maine State Senate 10th District, 1921-22 9
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
Harriet Russell Morison (1862-1925), Irish-born, New Zealand tailoress, trade unionist, suffragist and public servant
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
... (Another 11 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Sources +

MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
"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