Maurice

Maurice
Recorded as Maur, Maure, Mauret, Maurice (English & French), Mauro (Italian) Mauri and Mor (Portugese), Moro (Spanish) and many others, this is a surname of ultimately Roman (Latin), pre Christian origins. It is ethnic and derives from "maurus" meaning moorish, or literally dark. This was on the basis that the Moors from Morocco were dark, and they had brought themselves to world notice by conquering parts of Spain and defeating the upto then all conquering Roman army. It is therefore perhaps surprising that during the Dark Ages from the 5th to 10th century a.d, thename as Maur in its many varied forms, became a popular personal name in the days before surnames, being used in the Christian world as a baptismal name for any child with dark hair or dark complexion. Introduced into Britain by the Norman-French invaders after 1066, it was first recorded in the Latinized form as Mauricius de Edligtona in the documents of the Danelaw for the city of London in 1176, with the first recording of the the surname only shortly afterwards. This first recording of the family name anywhere in the world is believed to be that of Jasce Mauricii, and was dated 1191. It appears in the Pipe Rolls of the city of London, during the reign of King Richard 1st. He was known to history "The Lionheart", 1189 - 1199. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was sometimes known as the Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

Surnames reference. 2013.

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  • Maurice — is a given name used as a name or surname. It originates as a French name derived from the Roman Mauritius and was subsequently used in English speaking countries as well. It is of Latin origin, meaning dark skinned, Moorish , and might refer to …   Wikipedia

  • Maurice — ist: Maurice (Vorname), ein männlicher Vorname Maurice (Roman), ein Roman von E. M. Forster Maurice (Film), ein Film nach diesem Roman Saint Maurice VS ein Ort im schweizerischen Wallis Abtei Saint Maurice, ein in Saint Maurice gelegenes Kloster… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Maurice — • Roman Emperor, born in 539; died in November, 602 Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Maurice     Maurice     † …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Maurice — Maurice, IA U.S. city in Iowa Population (2000): 254 Housing Units (2000): 103 Land area (2000): 0.539314 sq. miles (1.396818 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.005645 sq. miles (0.014621 sq. km) Total area (2000): 0.544959 sq. miles (1.411439 sq. km)… …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • Maurice I — Maurice Ier Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. Plusieurs souverains se sont appelé Maurice Ier : Maurice Ier, empereur byzantin (582 602) Maurice Ier, comte d’Oldenbourg (1167 1211) Ce …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Maurice — es un nombre de persona francés e inglés, equivalente al «Mauricio» en español. Se puede referir a: Nombre en francés de Mauricio, país africano. Maurice (novela), novela de E. M. Forster publicada en 1971. Maurice (película), filme dirigido por… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Maurice — duc de Broglie (1875 1960), petit fils du préc.; physicien, spécialiste des rayons X. Acad. des sciences (1924). Acad. fr. (1934). Maurice (saint) (mort v. 287) chrétien qui, selon la légende, commanda la légion envoyée par l empereur Maximien… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Maurice —   [ mɔrɪs],    1) Furnley, Pseudonym des australischen Schriftstellers Frank Leslie Thompson Wilmot.    2) John Frederick Denison, britischer anglikanischer Theologe und Sozialreformer, * Normanston (County Suffolk) 29. 8. 1805, ✝ Cambridge 1. 4 …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Maurice, IA — U.S. city in Iowa Population (2000): 254 Housing Units (2000): 103 Land area (2000): 0.539314 sq. miles (1.396818 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.005645 sq. miles (0.014621 sq. km) Total area (2000): 0.544959 sq. miles (1.411439 sq. km) FIPS code:… …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • Maurice, LA — U.S. village in Louisiana Population (2000): 642 Housing Units (2000): 276 Land area (2000): 2.038293 sq. miles (5.279154 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km) Total area (2000): 2.038293 sq. miles (5.279154 sq. km) FIPS …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • Maurice — m 1 English and French: from the Late Latin name Mauricius, a derivative of Maurus (see MAURO (SEE Mauro)), borne by, among others, an early Byzantine emperor (c.539–602). It was introduced to Britain by the Normans, and was popular in the Middle …   First names dictionary

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