Moorhead
A Scottish and Irish surname meaning “moor head” or “hill/top by the moor,” likely from a place-name or topographic nickname.
The #7,666 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 71,271 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Moorhead is generally understood as a topographic surname built from Middle English or Scots moor, meaning a heath or uncultivated moorland, and head, meaning the top or end of something, especially a hill, spur, or landform. In practice it likely began as a name for someone who lived at the head of a moor or near a place so described. Some historical writers also connect it with the Scottish surname Muirhead, which has the same basic sense in Scots spelling.
History
The name is well attested in Scottish sources, where Matheson records Moorhead as an established form by the 16th century and also notes spellings such as Moorehead, Mooreheed, Morehead, and Muirhead. It appears in the wider British Isles surname tradition alongside related forms Moore, Moorhouse, and Muirhead. In North America the spelling Morehead became especially prominent, but Moorhead has remained a distinct, less common form.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The spelling Muirhead is a close Scottish cousin of Moorhead, showing how regional spelling could shift while preserving the same basic meaning.
From the historical record
“1550 MOORHEAD. Moorehead. Mooreheed. Morehead. Muirhead. MORAN. [M'Morran]. Moarn. Moeran. Moren. Morin.”
— Varieties and Synonymes of Surnames and Christian Names in Ireland