Find out how popular the last name McMorris is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named McMorris.

McMorris, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the McMorris surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McMorris in America

McMorris is the 10520th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McMorris surname appeared 3,049 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname McMorris.

We can also compare 2010 data for McMorris to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name McMorris

The surname McMorris is of Scottish origin, with roots that can be traced back to the 13th century. It is a combination of the Gaelic prefix "Mc," meaning "son of," and the personal name "Morris," which is derived from the ancient French name "Maurice."

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls, a series of historic documents from the late 13th century that contain the names of Scottish nobles and landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. These documents mention individuals with the surname "McMorris" or similar spellings, such as "McMorice" or "McMoryce."

In the 15th century, the McMorris family was known to have settled in the Scottish Lowlands, particularly in the regions of Ayrshire and Lanarkshire. The name was often associated with certain place names in these areas, such as "Morrishill" or "Morristown," which may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.

One of the earliest notable figures with the surname McMorris was John McMorris (1565-1632), a Scottish clergyman and academic who served as the Principal of the University of Glasgow from 1628 until his death. Another prominent individual was Sir Robert McMorris (1680-1745), a Scottish lawyer and politician who served as Lord Advocate of Scotland from 1737 to 1742.

In the 18th century, the McMorris family began to spread beyond Scotland, with some members emigrating to Ireland and North America. One such individual was William McMorris (1720-1795), an Irish-born merchant and landowner who settled in Pennsylvania and became a prominent figure in the American Revolutionary War.

In the 19th century, the name gained further recognition with the achievements of individuals like Sir Armar McMorris (1815-1892), a British army officer and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of the Windward Islands from 1879 to 1884.

Another notable figure was James McMorris (1845-1920), an American politician and lawyer who served as the Attorney General of Nebraska from 1893 to 1897 and played a significant role in the state's legal and political affairs.

Throughout its history, the surname McMorris has been associated with various professions, including clergy, law, politics, and military service, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of those who have carried this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McMorris

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname McMorris.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for McMorris was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of McMorris has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name McMorris was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of McMorris, please contact us.

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