Moor(e)’s (Son): v. Moor(e

(English) Dweller at, or near, a moor or marshy wasteland; the son of Moor (dark-complexioned man); one who came from North Africa.

Hugo Mores, Normandy 1180-95 (Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae); Geoffry de Mores, Engl. c. 1272 (Rotuli Hundredorum).

The surname Moore has two distinct derivations. In one it originated from the first name Moor, whose origins are of great antiquity. This comes from the Old French Maur, which in its turn derives from the Latin first name Maurus. (There was even a Saint Maurus in the sixth century.) The first name Maurus originally meant ‘moor’ (as in Othello the Moor) and was given to a native of North Africa. These were very rarely black people-like Othello-but were usually Arabs or Berbers. However, the name Maurus soon came to be used as a nickname for anyone with a dark complexion, meaning ‘darkie’-almost certainly with much the same racialist undertones as the word ‘darkie’ has today. Thus this derivation of the name Moore came to England with the Normans in the eleventh century (see also Morris.) The other derivation of the surname Moore is from the Anglo-Saxon word ‘mōr’ meaning ‘heath’. It is thus a place name, being given to someone who lived at or on a moor, heath or fen. The earliest forms of the name were preceded by ‘at’ or ‘de’ (e.g. Harry at Moore) with the additional ‘e’ because of the dative case.

There are many names related to, or variations of, the original Moore. Common examples of these are Moorhouse (house or home in the fen or moor, also a frequent place name in the northern counties of England), Moorehead (dweller at the top edge, or head, of the moor, also local name from places in Northumbria and West Yorkshire), Moorcroft (croft, or cottage, on the moor), Moorman, Moorwood (dweller in or by the wood on the moor). The name Morton also derives from this source-being short for Moorton, meaning farm on the moor. However, two very similar names have different derivations. The surname Moorcock is sometimes derived from a diminutive of the first name More: Morcoc. However, it also derives on occasions from ‘son of Maurice’, or as a nickname from the bird, the moorcock. The name Moorson, more commonly Morson, comes from ‘son of Morris’.

The name Moore is widespread throughout Britain and Ireland. However, in Ireland the name occasionally derives as an anglicised version of the Irish name O’More. This comes from the Irish Gaelic O’Mordha, which originates from the Gaelic first name ‘Mordha’ meaning ‘majestic’.

The earliest mention of the surname Moore is in the 1185 Records of the Templars for Lincolnshire. Here one Johannes filius More is listed.

Sir Thomas More (1478—1535) was a statesman, scholar, author-and finally a martyr. Today he is best remembered as the hero of the film A Man for All Seasons. This depicts his friendship with Henry VIII, and their final quarrel, when Thomas More refused to support Henry’s divorce from Catherine of Aragon. For this Henry had him imprisoned, and later beheaded. Thomas More’s saintliness of character soon became universally renowned. He was subsequently canonised by the Catholic Church while to this day there is a Thomas More room in the bounds of the Kremlin.

Several Moores have distinguished themselves in the arts of this century. One of the most notable of these is the Yorkshire sculptor Henry Moore (b.1898). A coal-miner’s son, he is regarded by many as the world’s greatest living sculptor. Another was America’s greatest female poet of the twentieth century-Marianne Moore (1887—1972). Her many prizes included a Pulitzer, the National Book Award, and the Gold Medal of the National Institute of Letters.

One of Britain’s richest men is John Moores, the co-founder of the Liverpool-based pools firm of Littlewoods. Having left school at the age of 14 to work as a telephone operator his fortune is now estimated at around £850 million. Besides running his pools firm and a mail order business he is also a well-known benefactor of the arts. The prestigious annual ‘Moores Exhibition’ in Liverpool attracts entries from all Britain’s greatest contemporary artists.

The United Kingdom has 19 Moore-related towns. These range from Moorby to Moortown (2). Jamaica has a Moore Town while Canada has a Moore’s Mills and a Moores, and Australia a Moorlands and a Moorooka. In all, 21 US towns and cities relate to the name. Moore-related names for geographic features are common.

With about 137,000 namesakes Moore is the 33rd most popular surname in England and Wales. In Ireland it is estimated that with about 19,000, Moore is the 20th most popular surname. (The name is not common enough throughout Scotland to be counted separately.) Moore is notably popular in and around Leicester where an estimated one in about 255 families bears the name. In descending numerical order Coventry, Birmingham and Teesside are other Moore strongholds. Around the world Moores are most common in Canberra (one in 354 families), Sydney (one in 522) and Ottawa (one in 655). The United States has more Moores than the entire populations of Bristol and Nottingham combined-an estimated total of just under 728,000 makes this their 13th most popular surname.