Surname Mor - Meaning and Origin
all surnames with 'M'
Mor: What does the surname Mor mean?
The surname Mor is of multiple origins and its meanings vary. In Irish, it comes from the Gaelic term "mór" meaning "great or big", which was sometimes used as a prefix to a person's name to denote stature, importance, or seniority. In Jewish tradition, Mor is common in Sephardic Jewish families. It is derived from Hebrew and Spanish where it means "myrrh," a type of aromatic resin used in incense and perfumes.
In Sweden, Mor also means "mother" and used as a first name. In India, specifically among the Marathi and Gujarati ethnic groups, "Mor" translates to "peacock", and could symbolize beauty or religious symbolism as peacock is India’s national bird. Furthermore, in the Catalan language and also in Portuguese, "mor" translates to "Moor", possibly referring to a historical association with the Moors, who were Muslim inhabitants of the Iberian Peninsula, Western North Africa, and the Maltese Islands during the Middle Ages. Therefore, the meaning of the last name Mor greatly depends on cultural and regional factors.
Order DNA origin analysisMor: Where does the name Mor come from?
The last name Mor is most commonly found in Israel, where it is the 53rd most common name as of 2020. Mor is also found in Europe, primarily in France, Spain, Italy, and Portugal. In 2020, it is the 466th most common surname in France, the 521st most common in Spain, the 534th most common in Italy, and the 1,383rd most common in Portugal.
Outside Europe and Israel, Mor is also found in the Americas, primarily in the United States. In the United States, it is the 14,493rd most common surname as of 2020. Within the United States, Mor is most commonly found in New Jersey, followed by New York, Massachusetts, California, and Florida.
Mor is also found in some smaller numbers in Africa, primarily in Nigeria and Tunisia. It is also found in some small numbers in the Middle East, primarily in Syria, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar.
Variations of the surname Mor
The surname Mor is a Spanish and Portuguese name derived from the Latin maurus, meaning a Moor. It can also be found in some other parts of Latin America. It is also seen in other parts of the world due to emigration of Spanish and Portuguese people.
Variant spellings include Maor, Maurer, Maurez, Mauri, Mauris, Mauriz, Mauro, Maurón, More, Moreno, Moura and Mourão.
Surnames of the same origin include Mori, Morillo, Moralis, Morini, Moraes, Morais, Morán, Morata, Morales, Morataya, Moranfria, Moratto, Moreira, Morena, Moretti, Moriñigo, Mornelli, Motz and Moz.
Mori is a common Japanese surname while Moratti and Mormile are Italian surnames. Mori is also a Muslim name which is derived from ‘Amar’.
In Ireland, the surname Mor is derived from O'Muireadhaigh which means ‘son of the navigator’. It is also found in Scotland with variant spellings such as MacMaurice, Maurice and Morris.
Maur comes from the biblical name ‘Maurus’ which means ‘dark’ or ‘black’ in Latin. The Latin Maurus was also used to describe the inhabitants of Mauretania, a Berber-speaking Roman region in North Africa.
The surname Mor is also connected to the Spanish Christian name ‘Moro’, meaning ‘Moor’, and hence the surname is often associated with people of Moors descent.
Famous people with the name Mor
- Ricky Martin: Singer, songwriter, actor
- Pepe Mor: Spanish actor
- Juan Mor: Venezuelan musician
- José Luis Morales: Mexican actor, singer, and TV host
- Juanjo: Fideo Morales: Uruguayan footballer
- Gabriel Morales: Costa Rican footballer
- Enrique Mor: Spanish footballer
- David Mor: Israeli businessman
- Marta Mor: Spanish singer, composer, and actress
- Roberto Mor: Spanish actor
- Gareth Rees-Morris: Welsh singer and songwriter
- Carlos Morales: Costa Rican writer
- Julio Mor: French singer
- Lara Fabian: Canadian singer
- Jorge Mor: Paraguayan former footballer
- Carolina Mor: Argentinian model and actress
- Antonio Morales: Portuguese composer, conductor, and organist
- J. R. Martinez: American actor and speaker
- Judah Moran Mor: Israeli-American basketball player
- Pato Mor: Uruguayan retired footballer