English
The surname Morrissen is of English, Scottish or Irish in origin. The name signifies the 'son of Morris or Maurice'. On of the most convenient ways of identifying a man was by reference to the father's name, particularly when combined with a patronymic suffix or affix. The most popular English and Lowland Scottish method was the addition of the word 'son' to the father's given name, as in Morrisson. The name Morriss is an English variant of the Norman name Maurice. It is an Old French name introduced into Britian by the Normans. The name Maurice signifies dark or Moorish and was a name borne by an early Byzantine emperor ( 539-602 ). This name was popular in the Middle English period, but was not widely adopted by the nobility,and became rare in the seventeenth century. The surname Morrisson has been adopted by Jewish people as an anglicization of the Hebrew name Moses. The given name Morris was borne by several minor early Cristian saints, including a third century Swiss saint. In Ireland the name is an anglicization of the Gaelic name O'Muirgheasain ( from Muirghheas, 'sea valour' ). At some unknown date the Morrissons of Ireland emigrated to the Scottish Isles, were they became known as Clan Morrisson; deadly enemies of the Lewis MacAulays. The name dates back to the thirteenth century were a Robert Morisson is recorded in historical archives. One of the first fore fathers to bring this name to America is that of a William Morrisson, a carpenter of London, who came to America aboard the Russian Merchant; he settled in Maryland. This name is the two hundredth and eighteenth most common surname in America.