Britain
In
England and
Scotland, the name can be derived from the
Old French personal name Maurice which was introduced to Britain by the
Normans. It can also be derived from the
Latin Mauritius, a derivative of
Maurus. This name was used by several early
Christian saints. The first Morrises in the British Isles were recorded as living in the bordering counties of
Monmouthshire,
Wales and
Herefordshire, England by the Norman Conquest of 1066 AD.
[3] In Wales, Morris is an Anglicisation of the
Welsh personal name
Meurig (ultimately derived from Latin
Mauritius).
[1] Additionally the name
Morris is of
Anglo-Norman origin deriving from the 'de Marisco' line.
Ireland
In Ireland, the name is an anglicisation of the
Gaelic Ó Muiris and can derive from a number of sources. Firstly from
Norman settlers who assimilated into the
Gaelic language and culture, for example the Norman Morrises who settled in
Galway in 1485 and became one of the
Tribes of Galway. Secondly the name may be a variant of Morrissey (
Ó Muireasa), who were a branch of the
Uí Fiachrach clan, or also from
Muiris who was a member of the MacDermot royal family.