Moore
A very common English surname meaning someone who lived by a moor or boggy heath.
The #18 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 426 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Moore comes from Middle English moor, meaning a moor, marsh, or boggy heath, ultimately from Old English words for a marshy or uncultivated tract of land. It began as a topographic name for someone living near such ground, seen in medieval forms like atte Mor and de Mora. The spelling Moore is a later standard form; the same surname can also reflect older spellings such as Moor or More in some families.
History
The name is widespread in England and became very common in Britain and Ireland, then in North America through later migration. Because it arose independently wherever people lived near a moor, not all Moore families share the same ancestry. It is one of the most common surnames in the United States today.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In medieval records, the same basic surname often appears with little particles like atte or de, which simply meant 'at the moor' or 'of the moor.'
From the historical record
“MOOR \ (Eng.) Dweller at a Moor [M.E. MOORE ] mor{e, moore, O.E. »irfr, a moor] John atte Mor. — Hund. Rolls. Jordan de la Mor. — do. Adam del More. — Pari. Writs. Away then hyed the heire of Linne Oer hill and holt, and moore and fenn-e. — 'TheHeirof Lynne': Percy's Reliques.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)Notable people named Moore
- Demi Moore (b. 1962)
- Julianne Moore (b. 1960)
- Roger Moore (1927–2017)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.