From Ó Mórdha, ‘great’ or ‘majestic’ — the ruling family of Laois before the Tudor plantations, and later a common English settler name too.
Gaelic Origin (with an English namesake) · Root meaning ‘great’
Moore most often descends from mór (‘great’), read as ‘majestic’ or ‘noble’. The Ó Mórdha ruled Laois for generations before Rory O'Moore's rising of 1641 against the Tudor plantation of his family's own land. Separately, Moore is also a common English surname, and some Irish Moores descend from settler stock rather than the O'Moores.
A great name in every sense — whether it reached you through a Laois chieftain's rebellion or a settler's arrival, it has always meant the same thing.
Irish form: Ó Mórdha
