Morris is a surname of various origins though mostly of English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh origin. The surname ranked 53 out of 88,799 in the United States and 32 out of 500 in England and Wales.^[1]

Origins

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. Additionally the name Morris is of Anglo-Norman origin deriving from the "de Marisco" line (meaning "of the marsh" in modern English^[2]). In some instances the surnames Morris has been seen to derive from Morres, which is the plural topographical name for a "family living on the Morre" (moors). It is not a coincidence that the greatest concentration of the Morris name in England is found around Bolton-le-Moors, Lancashire; a county where topographical and place-name surnames dominate.^{[citation needed]} In Wales, Morris is also found as a patronymic surname, deriving from meaning 'son of Morris'.

Ireland

Ó Muiris and, less commonly, de Moiréis in Irish; the Morris surname in Ireland is predominantly of Norman origin. It comes from the Norman "de Mareys", "de Marreis" and Latin "de Marisco", i.e., "of the marsh". It is a common surname in many parts of the south of Ireland, especially in Kilkenny, Tipperary, Offaly, Laois, Cork and Limerick, where it is now anglicised as Morris. A family of the name settled, in 1485, at Galway and became one of the Tribes of Galway. It may also refer to "descendant of Muiris" (sea-choice), a variant of Ó Muireasa. This was the name of a branch of the Uí Fiachrach who were formerly chiefs of a district on the southern shore of Sligo Bay, in the barony of Tireragh.^{[citation needed]}

Germany

In some cases Morris is of German origin, as a variant of the German name Moritz.

Notable people with the surname "Morris"

Disambiguation of common given names with this surname

Arts and letters

Education

Politics, law, and government

Sciences

Sports

Other

Characters

• Archie Morris, a character in the television series ER
• Christine Morris, a character in the television series Christine Morris series
• Dinah Morris, a character in George Eliot's novel Adam Bede (1859)
• Lou Anthony Morris, a character in the British television series Friday Night Dinner
• Mr. Morris, a character in the television series Arthur
• Rhydian Morris, a character in the British television series Wolfblood
• Nikki Morris, a character in the 2004 video game Need for Speed: Underground 2, portrayed by Kelly Brook
• Quincey Morris, a character in Bram Stoker's horror novel Dracula (1897)
• Zack Morris, a character in the sitcoms Good Morning, Miss Bliss; Saved by the Bell, and Saved by the Bell: The College Years