Contents [hide]

Moran History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

United States Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Sources

Moran History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

Etymology of Moran

What does the name Moran mean?

Many Irish surnames come from the Gaelic language native to Ireland. The original Gaelic form of the name Moran is Ó Morain or Ó Moghrain, and is most likely derived from the word "mor" which means "big."

Early Origins of the Moran family

The surname Moran was first found in County Mayo (Irish: Maigh Eo) located on the West coast of the Republic of Ireland in the province of Connacht.

Early History of the Moran family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Moran research. Another 96 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Moran History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Moran Spelling Variations

Within the archives researched, many different spelling variations of the surname Moran were found. These included One reason for the many variations is that scribes and church officials often spelled an individual's name as it sounded. This imprecise method often led to many versions. Moran, O'Moran, Murrin, Murran and others.

Early Notables of the Moran family

Prominent amongst the family at this time was

Michael Moran, a wonderful Irish Dublin street singer known as Zozimus

Moran World Ranking

In the United States, the name Moran is the 444^th most popular surname with an estimated 64,662 people with that name. 1 However, in Australia, the name Moran is ranked the 407^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,092 people with that name. 2 And in New Zealand, the name Moran is the 790^th popular surname with an estimated 922 people with that name. 3 The United Kingdom ranks Moran as 430^th with 15,028 people. 4

Moran migration to the United States +

During the 19th century thousands of impoverished Irish families made the long journey to British North America and the United States. These people were leaving a land that had become beset with poverty, lack of opportunity, and hunger. In North America, they hoped to find land, work, and political and religious freedoms. Although the majority of the immigrants that survived the long sea passage did make these discoveries, it was not without much perseverance and hard work: by the mid-19th century land suitable for agriculture was short supply, especially in British North America, in the east; the work available was generally low paying and physically taxing construction or factory work; and the English stereotypes concerning the Irish, although less frequent and vehement, were, nevertheless, present in the land of freedom, liberty, and equality for all men. The largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s. Research into passenger and immigration lists has brought forth evidence of the early members of the Moran family in North America:

Moran Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Denis Moran, who settled in South Carolina in 1672

Moran Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Philip Moran, who landed in America in 1792 5
Amand Moran, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1795
Charles Moran, who arrived in New York in 1798 5

Moran Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Richard Moran, aged 22, who arrived in New York in 1812 5
Nicholas Moran, aged 46, who landed in New York in 1812 5
Damian Moran, who arrived in America in 1826 5
Noria Maria Moran, aged 44, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1829 5
Carlos Moran, aged 36, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1831 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Moran migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Moran Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Matthias Moran U.E. who settled in St. Martins, Saint John County, New Brunswick c. 1784 he served in the Kings Orange Rangers 6
Mr. William Moran U.E. who settled in St. Martins, Saint John County, New Brunswick c. 1784 he served in the Kings Orange Rangers 6

Moran Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Daniel Moran, who landed in Canada in 1831
David Moran, who arrived in Canada in 1831
Owen Moran, who landed in Quebec in 1832
Ann Moran, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1832
George Moran, who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Moran migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Moran Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

James Moran, English convict from Chatham, who was transported aboard the "Asia" on September 3rd, 1820, settling in New South Wales, Australia 7
Mr. Patrick Moran, (b. 1780), aged 40, Irish coachman who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for 7 years for felony, transported aboard the "Dorothy" on 5th May 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
Mr. Bartholomew Moran who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Bussorah Merchant" on 24th March 1828, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
Mr. John Moran, (b. 1807), aged 22, Irish stable boy who was convicted in Tipperary, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Eliza" on 2nd March 1829, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1835 10
Mr. Michael Moran, (b. 1806), aged 26, Irish ploughman who was convicted in Galway, Ireland for life for being a rebel, transported aboard the "Eliza" on 10th May 1832, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1848 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Moran migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Moran Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Archibald Moran, British settler, as the 2nd Detachment of New Zealand Corps of Royal New Zealand Fencibles travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Minerva" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 8th October 1847 12
Mr. Patrick Moran, (b. 1838), aged 23, English farm labourer, from Langford travelling from London aboard the ship "Royal Stuart" arriving in Lyttlelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 8th October 1861 13
Miss Sarah Moran, (b. 1822), aged 40, Irish domestic servant from Tipperary travelling from London aboard the ship "Zealandia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 23rd May 1862 13
Michael Moran, aged 35, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Maori" in 1864
Ann Moran, aged 24, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Maori" in 1864
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Moran (post 1700) +

Rocky Moran Sr. (1950-2024), American race car driver
Mary Chapar Moran (1933-2024), American politician, 50th Mayor of Bridgeport, Connecticut from 1989 to 1991, the first and only woman to be mayor of Bridgeport
Richard M. "Richie" Moran (1937-2022), American Hall of Fame lacrosse player and coach from Long Island, NY
Michael "Bugsy" Moran (1955-1991), aged 36, American crew member from Bradenton Beach, Florida of the Andrea Gail, lost during the "Perfect Storm" of 1991; the crew members' plight was inspiration of the 1997 book and a 2000 film adaptation of the same name
Erin Marie Moran (1960-2017), birth name Erin Marie Moran Fleischmann, an American actress, best known for the role of Joanie Cunningham on Happy Days
Thomas J. Moran (1930-2015), American restaurateur, businessman, and philanthropist, founder of TJ Ribs and Ruffino's Italian Restaurants
Tim Moran (1918-2014), American educator and politician, Member of the Utah House of Representatives (1984-1996)
Thomas Moran (1837-1926), English-born, American painter and printmaker
Dolores Moran (1924-1982), American film actress and model
Mary Nimmo Moran (1842-1899), prominent American 19th century landscape artist
... (Another 21 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Moran family +

Empress of Ireland

Mr. James Moran, British Seaman from United Kingdom who worked aboard the Empress of Ireland (1914) and survived the sinking 14

Halifax Explosion

Miss Evelyn Maggie Moran (1911-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who survived the Halifax Explosion (1917) but later died due to injuries 15

RMS Lusitania

Mr. Patrick Moran, Irish Fireman from Erren, Mayo, Ireland, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 16
Mr. James Moran, Irish Greaser from Erren, Mayo, Ireland, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 16

RMS Titanic

Miss Bertha Bridget Moran, aged 28, Irish Third Class passenger from Askeaton, Limerick who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and survived in the sinking in life boat 16 17
Mr. Daniel James Moran (d. 1912), aged 27, Irish Third Class passenger from Askeaton, Limerick who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 17

Senghenydd colliery

Mr. James Moran (b. 1889), Welsh coal miner from Senghenydd, Caerphilly, Wales who was working at the Senghenydd colliery when there was an explosion on the 14th October 1913; he died 18

SS Atlantic

Bridget Moran, Irish traveler aboard the ship "SS Atlantic" when it struck rocks off Nova Scotia in 1873, died in the sinking
Catherine Moran, Irish traveler aboard the ship "SS Atlantic" when it struck rocks off Nova Scotia in 1873, died in the sinking
Elise Moran, Irish traveler aboard the ship "SS Atlantic" when it struck rocks off Nova Scotia in 1873, died in the sinking

USS Indianapolis

Joseph John Moran (1922-1946), American crew member on board the ship "USS Indianapolis" when she was on a top secret trip for the first nuclear weapon, she was sunk by Japanese Navy on 30th July 1945, he survived the sinking 19

The Moran 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: Lucent in tenebris
Motto Translation: They shine in darkness.

Sources +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Asia 1 voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1820 with 192 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1820
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dorothy
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bussorah-merchant
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eliza
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eliza
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 7) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html
Universal Colliery Senghenydd 1913 disaster retrieved 21st September 2019, retrieved from http://www.welshcoalmines.co.uk/deathrolls/SenghenyddDead1913.htm
Final Crew List, retrieved 2021, October 30th Retrieved from https://www.ussindianapolis.com/final-crew