Geneanet > Resources > Family Names > MOORE

Origin and popularity of the name MOORE

Origin

Moore : 1: English: from Middle English more ‘moor marsh fen’ (Old English mōr) hence a topographic name for someone who lived in such a place or a habitational name from any of various places called with this word as for example Moore in Cheshire or More in Shropshire.2: English (of Norman origin): ethnic name from Old French more ‘Moor’ either someone from North Africa or more often a nickname for someone thought to resemble a Moor. Compare Morrell and Moreau.3: English (of Norman origin): from the Middle English personal name More (Old French More Maur Latin Maurus) originally denoting either ‘Moor’ or someone with a swarthy complexion (compare Morrell Morrin Morris and sense 2 above). There was a 6th-century Christian saint of this name.4: Irish: Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Mórdha ‘descendant of Mórdha’ a byname meaning ‘great proud’ or ‘stately’.5: Scottish: variant of Muir.6: Welsh: nickname from mawr ‘big great’ either describing a man's size or greatness (perhaps applied ironically) or as a means of distinguishing two men with the same name.7: Americanized form of Slovenian Mur.

Source : DAFN2 : Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, ©2022 by Patrick Hanks and Oxford University Press

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Last name frequency

Geographic distribution of the 473,845 individuals with the name MOORE on Geneanet.

 

Most found places for the name MOORE:

    This last name in the family trees

    See below the Geneanet members' family trees which contain the last name MOORE

    wbuchanan
    (4,625 individuals)
    stephen99moore
    (2,937 individuals)
    krisgenealogist
    (2,823 individuals)
    samueltaylorgeer
    (2,398 individuals)

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