Morrissey
An Irish surname usually meaning “descendant of Muirgheas,” a Gaelic personal name often explained as “sea valor” or “sea charm.”
The #2,658 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 22,762 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Morrissey is an Anglicized Irish surname from Ó Muirgheasa, meaning “descendant of Muirgheas.” The personal name Muirgheas is commonly analyzed as muir, “sea,” plus gais or gas, a word associated with valor, prowess, or in some old explanations with charm or incantation. Nineteenth-century authorities vary a little in how they gloss the second element, so the exact shade of meaning is not perfectly settled.
History
The name is strongly Irish in origin and appears in records as an established surname in several parts of Ireland, including Ulster. In Anglicized forms it has often been written alongside Morris, Morrison, and related spellings, which sometimes reflect administrative simplification rather than separate ancestry. By the 20th century it was well established as a common Irish-American surname as well.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Some older sources treat Morrissey as one of several Gaelic names that were sometimes simplified into English forms like Morris or Morrison in records.
From the historical record
“MORRISEY WCelt.) for O'Morrisy, Descen- MORRISSAyI dant of Muirg(h)eas = Sea MORRISSEY Charm or Conjuration [Ir. MORRISSY I O'Muirgheasa- 6 or wa, grand- son, descendant -f muir, sea -f- the genit. oigeas, a charm, conjuration, incantation, &c.] MORRISON, Morris's or Maurice's Son: v. Maurice. In the Highlands…”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)