Morris

English variation of Maurice
"dark-skinned"

Morris Origin and Meaning

The name Morris is a boy's name of English origin meaning "dark-skinned".

Morris is as quiet and comfortable as a Morris chair, and has the same vintage feel. Once a Top 100 name in the early 1900s, Morris fell completely off the roster in 1995, probably due to lingering fallout from his identification with Morris the cat's ("the world's most finicky cat") 9 Lives cat food commercials.

A more distingushed namesake is Morris (Mo) Udall, an influential congressman, and, from literature, Morris Townsend in the Henry James novel Washington Square, which was made into a movie titled "The Heiress," with Montgomery Clift playing the part.

The usual nicknames for Morris are Morrie/Maury or Moe; a more distinctive one would be Moss. Morrie Schwartz, subject of the bestseller Tuesdays with Morrie was born Morris.

# 977 in the US

Morris Rank in US Top 1000

# 978 on Nameberry

Morris Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Morris Popularity

Famous People Named Morris

  • Morris Lee Claiborne
    American NFL football player
  • Morris Lamont Chestnut
    Jr., American actor
  • Morris E. Day
    American R&B musician of The Time
  • Morris
    pen name of Maurice De Bevere, Belgian cartoonist
  • Morris "Morrie" Schwartz
    subject of Mitch Albom's "Tuesdays with Morrie"

Morris in Pop Culture

  • Morris the Cat
    advertising mascot for 9Lives brand cat food, voiced by John Erwin
  • Morris O'Brian
    character from the TV's "24"
  • Morris
    town in Connecticut