Moore History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

There are several distinct sources of the Moore surname in Ireland. Most of the name find their roots with the Anglo-Norman “Strongbow” invasion of the 12th century. Many of these became de Mora. Others derived from the Old Irish “O Mordha,” from the word “mordha,” meaning “stately,” or “noble.” [1] The English surname Moore is derived from the personal name“More,” which is itself derived from the Old French word “maur,” meaning “Moor.”

Early Origins of the Moore family

The surname Moore was first found in Munster, where the name was firmly established shortly after the Strongbow invasion of Ireland in 1172. [1]

‘Aimergin Ua Mordha, A.D. 1026.’ O’Mordha is Anglicised O’More and More, which has now usually become Moore, The O’Mores were a powerful sept in Ireland.” [2]

“Donal Mór (d. 1194), son of Turlough, was the last King of North Munster. ” [3] The Guinness or MacGunness family claim descent from Cionga, son of Rory Mór and had a similar coat of arms complete with a gold lion on a green shield denoting their heritage. 

Moore or O’Moore were the hereditary Lords of Leix. Of this branch was Charles O’More who had a younger brother named Rory Oge who in 1587 was slain by the English.

The Moores of Rahinduffe, Queen’s County are a branch of this previous family. Of note was Anthony O’Moore who joined with the O’Neills and defeated the English army in 1598. [3]

Early History of the Moore family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Moore research.

Moore Spelling Variations

During the lifetime of an individual person, his name was often spelt by church officials and medieval scribes the way it sounded. An examination of the many different origins of each name has revealed many spelling variations for the name: Moore, More, Moor, O’More, Moores, Mores, McMore, Moire, Moare, MacMoore, McMoir, Moir, Moors, O’Moore, O’Moire, McMoare, MacMoir, MacMoare, Mooer and many more.

Early Notables of the Moore family (pre 1700)

Notable amongst the family up to this time was Rory O’More (d. 1557) and his son Rory Og O’More, who were both Irish leaders in the wars against the English (Tudor) Kings; Rory O’Moore (Roger O’Moore, O’More, Sir Roger Moore) (c.1600-1655), an Irish landowner of ancient lineage, most notable for being one of the four principal organizers of the Irish Rebellion of 1641; Rory “Roger” More.

Moore World Ranking

In the United States, the name Moore is the 9^th most popular surname with an estimated 775,944 people with that name. [4] However, in Canada, the name Moore is ranked the 31^stmost popular surname with an estimated 46,790 people with that name. [5] And in Quebec, Canada, the name Moore is the 657^th popular surname. [6] Newfoundland, Canada ranks Moore as 75^th with 363 people. [7] France ranks Moore as 8,256^th with 1,000 – 1,500 people. [8]Australia ranks Moore as 36^th with 45,880 people. [9] New Zealand ranks Moore as 40^th with 5,529 people. [10] The United Kingdom ranks Moore as 31^st with 104,565 people. [11] South Africa ranks Moore as 860^th with 8,126 people. [12]

 Moore migration to the United States +

Ireland’s Great Potato Famine left the country’s inhabitants in extreme poverty and starvation. Many families left their homeland for North America for the promise of work, freedom and land ownership. Although the Irish were not free of economic and racial discrimination in North America, they did contribute greatly to the rapid development of bridges, canals, roads, and railways. Eventually, they would be accepted in other areas such as commerce, education, and the arts. An examination of immigration and passenger lists revealed many bearing the name Moore: