Moore Family History

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.

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 .

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.

Irish: Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Mórdha ‘descendant of Mórdha’, a byname meaning ‘great, proud’, or ‘stately’.

Scottish: variant of Muir .

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.

Americanized form of Slovenian Mur .