Maurice
A surname from the old personal name Maurice, meaning “Moorish” or “dark-skinned,” ultimately from Latin and Greek roots.
The #8,430 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 78,782 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Maurice comes from the medieval personal name Mauricius, a form linked to Latin Maurus, meaning “Moor” or “dark-skinned.” The name passed into Old French and Anglo-French before becoming a hereditary surname. In that sense, the surname began as a family name taken from an ancestor named Maurice.
History
The sources show Maurice being used in medieval England as a personal name, later becoming hereditary as a surname. It also appears in related forms such as Morice and Morrice. In Ireland, English surnames like Maurice were sometimes adopted or used as substitutes for native names, which can complicate family history.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same Latin root behind Maurice also lies behind surnames such as Morris and Morrish.
From the historical record
“MAUNSELL = Mansell, q.v. MAURICE (A.-Fr.-Lat.-Gr.) Moorish; Dark [Lat. Mauritius — Maurus, Gr. MaCpos, a Moor] Serl fil. Morice.—Hund Rolls. Mauricius Capellanus.^/Vzt Soils. In Ireland, Morris or Morrish has often been adopted as a simplified substitute for such native names as Muirgheas (v.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)