Septs of Clan Morrison

Morrison (and Variants: Morison, Murison, Murrison, Morrieson, Marrison, Morrisson)

Surname Origin & Association: Derived from the Gaelic Mac Ghille Mhoire, meaning “son of the servant of Mary.” In the Lowlands, it also derives from “son of Maurice.”

Historical Context: In the Hebrides, Morrisons served as hereditary judges (brieves) of Lewis. In the northeast, the Morisons of Bognie were a prominent Lowland family descended from Maurice. The name exists in many forms across Scotland.

Morris (and Variants: Morrice, Morice)

Surname Origin & Association: A patronymic surname derived from the personal name Maurice, brought to Scotland by Normans.

Historical Context: Morris families in northeast Scotland were connected to the Morisons of Bognie. Many descendants adopted Morrison as a surname, while others retained Morris or Morrice.

Gilmour (and Variants: Gilmore, Gilmer, Gilmor, Gillamor, McLemore)

Surname Origin & Association: Anglicized from Gaelic Mac Ghille Mhoire, “son of the servant of Mary.”

Historical Context: This was the original Gaelic name of Clan Morrison in Lewis. Variants like Gilmore and McLemore emerged from phonetic spelling and anglicization.

Brieve (and Variants: Breive, MacBrieve, MacBreive)

Surname Origin & Association: Derived from the office of brieve (judge), from Gaelic breitheamh.

Historical Context: The Morrison chiefs were hereditary brieves of Lewis for generations. The name Brieve became a surname among descendants of these judges.

Judge

Surname Origin & Association: English occupational surname, used as a direct translation of brieve.

Historical Context: After the fall of the Morrison chiefs in the 17th century, some descendants may have adopted “Judge” to reflect their ancestral role in law.

References (APA)

Black, G. F. (1946). The Surnames of Scotland: Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library.

Clan Morrison Society of North America. (n.d.). Origins of Clan Morrison. Retrieved from https://clanmorrison.net

Gilmore (surname). (2023, January 5). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilmore_(surname)

Mac Giolla-Domhnaigh, P. (1923). Some Anglicised Surnames in Ireland. Retrieved from https://libraryireland.com

Morrison, A. (Viscount Dunrossil). (2016). Clan Morrison, Ancient and Modern. Retrieved from https://www.dunrossil.com

Scots Connection. (n.d.). Morrison Clan History. Retrieved from https://scotsconnection.com

ScotClans. (n.d.). Morrison Clan and Sept Names. Retrieved from https://scotclans.com

Wikipedia contributors. (2023). Clan Morrison. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clan_Morrison