Show ContentsMoorman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Moorman

What does the name Moorman mean?

The name Moorman was first used by the ancient Strathclyde-Briton people of the Scottish/English Borderlands. The first Moorman family lived near a moor, or heath. 1 In Gaelic, Mor means great or big; therefore, a scribe may have mistaken the adjective Mor as a surname More or Muir. This may explain the occurrence of the surname Muir, or a variant in Northern Scotland.

The name Muir would seem out of place in that region because it holds a meaning of "living by a moor or heath," not the typical landscape of the highlands. Judging by its meaning, Muir is a local name of the south that described the area, in which the original bearer lived or held land. 2

Early Origins of the Moorman family

The surname Moorman was first found in Ayrshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Inbhir Àir), formerly a county in the southwestern Strathclyde region of Scotland. Thomas de la More was the executor of the will of Devorguilla de Balliol in 1291. While the first spelling of the name was More, it gradually evolved to Muir which became more popular, and by 1300 the name Muir had become the preferred spelling. Donald, Adam, Renaud, Gilchrist and Simon Muir, all rendered homage on behalf of their Clan to King Edward I of England on his brief conquest of Scotland in 1296.

"Adam de la More and William de la More were jurors on the lands of Lady Elena la Zuche in Conyngham, 1296. Ade More who held lands of Reltone in Rerwickshire, in 1315-1321 may be Adam More or Moire, knight, who witnessed charters by Bruce in 1328-1329. Elizabeth Mere, daughter of Sir Adam Mure of Rowallan, became queen of King Robert 11, 1347. Adam of Mwre was juror on inquest in Kirkwall, 1369. John Mvr of Enerothyll was witness, 1460, and John Mur or Muyr was vicar general of the Predicant Order in Scotland, 1469-1470 ." 2

Early History of the Moorman family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Moorman research. Another 178 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1458, 1526, 1541, 1559, 1594, 1657, 1700, 1740, 1753, 1760, 1765, 1771, 1787, 1793, 1798, 1800, 1810, 1812, 1822, 1829, 1869, 1887, 1890 and 1959 are included under the topic Early Moorman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Moorman Spelling Variations

Surnames that evolved in Scotland in the Middle Ages often appear under many spelling variations. These are due to the practice of spelling according to sound in the era before dictionaries had standardized the English language. Moorman has appeared as Muir, Mure, Moor, Moore, Mure, More, Moorman and many more.

Early Notables of the Moorman family

Notable amongst the family at this time was Sir William Mure (1594-1657), Scottish writer and politician; John Muir, a Sanskrit scholar, and his brother Sir William Muir, who was an Arabic scholar and biographer of Mohammed; and Edwin Muir (1887-1959), a noted poet and critic. Thomas Muir (1765-1798), parliamentary reformer, was born at Glasgow on 24 Aug. 1765, being the only son of Thomas Muir, a flourishing tradesman, who in 1753 published a pamphlet on England's foreign trade. He was educated at Glasgow grammar school and at the university, intending at first to enter the church, but ultimately deciding on the bar...
Another 157 words (11 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Moorman Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Moorman Ranking

In the United States, the name Moorman is the 4,593rd most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Moorman family to Ireland

Some of the Moorman family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 83 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Moorman migration to the United States +

The North American colonies beckoned, with their ample land and opportunity as their freedom from the persecution suffered by so many Clan families back home. Many Scots even fought against England in the American War of Independence to gain this freedom. Recently, clan societies have allowed the ancestors of these brave Scottish settlers to rediscover their familial roots. Among them:

Moorman Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Zachariah Moorman, who arrived in South Carolina in 1671 4
Moorman Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • John Henry Moorman, aged 28, who landed in Missouri in 1845 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Moorman (post 1700) +

  • Charles Harwood Moorman (1876-1938), United States federal judge
  • Henry DeHaven Moorman (1880-1939), American politician, U.S. Representative from Kentucky
  • Maurice "Mo" Moorman (b. 1945), American college and professional NFL football player who played from 1968 through 1973
  • Cyril "Sonny" Moorman (b. 1955), American power Blues guitarist
  • Madeline Charlotte Moorman Garside (1933-1991), American cellist and performance artist
  • Lt. General Thomas Samuel Moorman (1910-1997), fifth Superintendent of the United States Air Force Academy
  • Brian Donald Moorman (b. 1976), American NFL punter
  • John Richard Humpidge Moorman (1905-1989), English divine, ecumenist, and writer, Bishop of Ripon (1959 to 1975)
  • Frederic William "F.W." Moorman (1872-1919), English professor of English at Leeds University in England
  • Haskell Moorman Monroe Jr. (1931-2017), American educator and university administrator, President of the University of Texas at El Paso (1980–1987) and the University of Missouri (1987–1993)

USS Arizona
  • Mr. Russell Lee Moorman, American Seaman Second Class from California, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 5


The Moorman Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Duris non frangor
Motto Translation: I am not disheartened by difficulties.


Suggested Readings for the name Moorman +

  • Johnson-Moorman Family Connections by Jesse Bryan.

  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  3. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  4. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  5. Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html


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