Moreau
A French surname meaning “dark” or “black,” originally used as a nickname for someone with a swarthy complexion or dark hair.
The #3,943 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 34,172 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Moreau is a French form built on Old French more, from Latin Maurus, meaning “Moor” or “dark-skinned person.” In surname use, it came to describe someone with a dark complexion, dark hair, or a swarthy appearance; in some older sources it is also linked more loosely with dark-brown coloring. The name is closely related to Morel, Morin, Maure, and other French surnames formed from the same root.
History
The surname is well established in France and appears in many regional and related forms, especially in northern French and Norman records. Historical surname writers often grouped Moreau with nicknames based on color, and one source notes that modern French can still use moreau for a black horse. The name also spread beyond France through migration, which is why it is found in countries such as the United States today.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older French surname studies treated Moreau and Morel as part of a whole family of names used for dark-colored horses and people.
From the historical record
“Black mount. Montekossi, Red mount. MONTFOORT {W.), Mouth of the ford. (v. van Amersfoort.) MOREAU and Morel {£.), Black, Tawny, Dark-brown; also Negro, Moor. In modern French, "moreau" means a black horse. Morell ((!C-)> Murrey or Dark red or brown. MORGAN {\X^.), By sea. (v. Bythesea.) MORGENLAND ((g.), Levant…”
— Surnames