Morais
A surname of Portuguese and related Iberian origin, most often linked to place-names or medieval forms connected with “Moorish” associations.
The #9,611 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 91,318 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Morais is an Iberian surname, especially Portuguese, usually treated as a habitational name from places called Morais or from related local forms. Those place-names are commonly connected with Latin and medieval Romance words associated with Moors or Moorish settlements, though the precise path can vary by region. In some cases the surname may also have arisen independently in different Iberian communities from the same toponymic source.
History
The name is established in Portugal and adjacent parts of the Iberian Peninsula, and it also appears in Brazil and in emigrant communities overseas. Like many Iberian surnames, it spread widely through migration during the early modern and modern periods. Distinct families with the same spelling may not share a single ancestor, since the surname could be adopted from more than one locality.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Because Morais is toponymic, two people with the same surname may trace it to different villages rather than one shared clan line.