Morrison History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The roots of the Morrison family name are in ancient Scotland with the Viking settlers. Morrison was derived from the name Maurice. This comes from the Latin personal nameMauritius, which means dark. Numerous legends exist for the origins of this great Scottish Clan. One old tale holds that the Clan’s Norse forbears were shipwrecked off the Isle of Lewis, and saved themselves by clinging to driftwood; hence the Clan Plant badge is driftwood. Another branch claims descent from the O’Muircheasain bards of the outer Hebrides. This latter legend is not inconsistent with a possible shipwreck of the Norsemen, as many of the bardic missionaries from Ireland were of Norse descent. Others claim the Clan is descended from King Somerled, King of the Isles, who died in 1164. Again, this is compatible with history, as Somerled was descended from the Norse Kings of Ireland and gave origin to many of the more notable Scottish Clans.

Early Origins of the Morrison family

The surname Morrison was first found in on the Isle of Lewis (Scottish Gaelic: Leòdhas), where the first Clan chiefs once held the hereditary office of Judges or Brieves of Lewis. They also had their stronghold in the Tigh Mor’ or ‘big house,’ which was near Habost in Ness on the extreme northern tip of Lewis. Their claim of descent from King Somerled is also substantiated by their descent through Ceadhain Mac Mhuirich. A Chief of a junior branch of the Donalds, he was descended from Somerled, and through Gillemoire, a brother of Leod (progenitor of the MacLeods) – both were royal princes of the Norse Empire of the Isle of Man and the Hebrides.

Early History of the Morrison family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Morrison research. Another 176 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1600, 1950, 1893, 1961, 1620, 1683, 1660, 1790 and 1852 are included under the topic Early Morrison History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Morrison Spelling Variations

Sound and intuition were the main things that scribes in the Middle Ages relied on when spelling and translating names. Since those factors varied, so did the spelling of the names. Spelling variations of the name Morrison include Morrison, Morison, Morieson and many more.

Early Notables of the Morrison family (pre 1700)

Notable amongst the Clan from early times was Robert Morison (1620-1683), a Scottish botanist and taxonomist; and Ruaraidh (‘Roderick’) Morrison; born in 1660, he is remembered as An Clarair Dall, ‘the blind harper’, and held the highest place of honor for players of the clarsach. His ballads and poetry still survive; the most famous of which is “Oran Mor Mhic Leoid,’ which mourns the death of his patron… 
Another 67 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Morrison Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Morrison World Ranking

In the United States, the name Morrison is the 221^st most popular surname with an estimated 119,376 people with that name. [1] However, in Canada, the name Morrison is ranked the 94^thmost popular surname with an estimated 28,707 people with that name. [2] And in Australia, the name Morrison is the 130^th popular surname with an estimated 20,913 people with that name. [3] New Zealand ranks Morrison as 114^th with 3,850 people. [4] The United Kingdom ranks Morrison as 144^th with 35,458 people. [5]

 Migration of the Morrison family to Ireland

Some of the Morrison family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 59 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

 Morrison migration to the United States +

In North America, the monarchy was thousands of miles away and Scots were free to settle on their own land and practice their own beliefs. The American War of Independence provided an opportunity for these settlers to pay back the English monarchy and forge a new nation. Recently, this heritage has survived through North American highland games and Clansocieties. Early North American immigration and passenger lists have revealed a number of people bearing the name Morrison or a variant listed above: 

Morrison Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

• Miss Elizabeth Morrison, aged 12, who arrived in New England in 1635 aboard the ship “Planter” [6]
• Henry Morrison, who landed in Virginia in 1648 [7]
• Francis Morrison, who settled in Virginia in 1650
• Donald Morrison, who landed in New Jersey in 1685 [7]