| Language(s) | Gaelic |
|---|---|
| Origin | |
| Word/name | Moireach, Moireabh |
| Meaning | Coastal Settlement |
| Region of origin | Ireland or Scotland |
| Other names | |
| Variant form(s) | Moray, MacMorrow, Murrow, Morrowson, Moorow, Morowe, Moireach |
Morrow is an anglicized surname of Irish or Scottish origins.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]
Originating in the Scottish Lowlands the name is ultimately Gaelic, from Moireach or Moireabh, meaning a 'seafarer' or a 'coastal settlement'; most probably derived from the placename Moray in northern Scotland, by merit of being, at times, a variation of Murray. It may also be patronymic, from Murchadh, meaning 'sea warrior'. It has been variously spelt Morow, Morro, Morwe, Murrow, and Morrewe, the latter being first found on the Ragman Rolls of 1296.[9][10][11][12] Some of the earliest recorded of the name were the Dumfries-born, Thomas Morrow, abbot of Paisley between 1418 and 1444,[11] Duncan Morrow, witness to an ordination in 1503 at Kirkinner, Wigtownshire,[13] Walter Morrow, a member of the convent at Kelso, Roxburghshire in 1548,[14][15] and Davy Morrow, bailie of Annan in 1592.[16][17] During the 17th Century, the Morrow name was brought to Ireland as a result of the plantation of Ulster; during which many Scots, mostly Lowlanders, settled in the north of Ireland.[18][19][20] A number of Morrows who served in the Covenanter army were transported to Virginia after being captured by Cromwell at the Battle of Worcester in 1651.[21][22]
The name is suspected to have been used to anglicize a number of Irish Gaelic names, mainly surnames which include muir, meaning sea, which were also made as Morrogh, Murrow and Moroghoe. In Petty's Census of 1659, O'Morrow and McMarrowe are recorded. However, it is more common for these Irish names to have been anglicized as 'McMorrow' rather than the Scottish 'Morrow' on its own.
