UK surname

Morreale

An Italian occupational surname referring to a person who gathered or sold murra, a type of fungus.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Broxbourne, Sutton and Harlow.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Morreale is 156 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has changed.

1881 census count

Modern count

147

2016, ranked #24,071

Peak year

2010

156 bearers

Map years

1998 to 2016

Key insights

• The latest modern count shown here is 147 in 2016, ranked #24,071.
• Within the historical census years, the highest count was 5 in 1891.
• The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Suburban Professionals.

Map

Morreale surname distribution map

The map shows where the Morreale surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Morreale surname density by area, 2016 modern.

Year

Loading map

Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Morreale over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year	Period	Count	Rank
1861	historical	1	#34,435
1891	historical	5	#33,939
1997	modern	130	#23,021
1998	modern	134	#23,202
1999	modern	134	#23,378
2000	modern	132	#23,562
2001	modern	134	#23,037
2002	modern	150	#21,913
2003	modern	144	#22,270
2004	modern	148	#22,000
2005	modern	150	#21,786
2006	modern	148	#22,111
2007	modern	150	#22,212
2008	modern	149	#22,530
2009	modern	148	#23,141
2010	modern	156	#22,886
2011	modern	149	#23,408
2012	modern	152	#23,069
2013	modern	148	#23,884
2014	modern	148	#24,075
2015	modern	149	#23,817
2016	modern	147	#24,071

Geography

Where Morreales are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around No data. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Broxbourne, Sutton, Harlow, Manchester and Tameside. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank	Parish	Area
1	No data	No data

Top modern areas

Rank	Area	District
1	Broxbourne 002	Broxbourne
2	Sutton 022	Sutton
3	Harlow 010	Harlow
4	Manchester 021	Manchester
5	Tameside 003	Tameside

Forenames

First names often paired with Morreale

These lists show first names that appear often with the Morreale surname in historical and recent records.

Historical female names

No Forenames Found

Historical male names

No Forenames Found

Recent female names

Maria Christine Caterina Angela Caroline Emma Cristina Lesley Lisa Filomena

Recent male names

Vincenzo Giuseppe Anthony Salvatore Calogero Antonio Paolo Pio Roberto Mariano

Modern profile

Neighbourhood profile for Morreale

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Morreale, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Ethnically Diverse Suburban Professionals

Group

Suburban Professionals

Nationally, the Morreale surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Suburban Professionals, within Ethnically Diverse Suburban Professionals. This does not mean every Morreale household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Employment in this Group is typically in managerial and professional occupations, and education to degree level is common. Residents are typically of working age, many of whom identify with an Indian ethnicity. Households are unlikely to be of Mixed or Multiple ethnicities, and English is not the main language used in some households. This Group is found on the outskirts of most conurbations as well as in the suburbs of some free-standing towns.

Wider pattern

Those working within the managerial, professional and administrative occupations typically reflect a wide range of ethnic groups, and reside in detached or semi-detached housing. Their residential locations at the edges of cities and conurbations and car-based lifestyles are more characteristic of Supergroup membership than birthplace or participation in child-rearing. Houses are typically owner-occupied and marriage rates are lower than the national average. This Supergroup is found throughout suburban UK.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

Professional Periphery

Within London, Morreale is most associated with areas classed as Professional Periphery, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods predominantly house residents aged 45+, with many aged 85+. Most employed residents work in senior roles, and relatively few work in unskilled jobs. Terraced housing is comparatively rare, but communal living is more common. More residents identify as of Indian ethnicity and more affiliate with non-Christian religions. Disability levels are below the Supergroup average.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Morreale is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Morreale falls in decile 9 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Morreale is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate: White - Other

This describes the area pattern most associated with Morreale, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Origin

Meaning and origin of Morreale

The surname Morreale originated in Sicily, Italy, and dates back to the medieval period. The name is derived from the Arabic word "mur'r," which means "bitter" or "sour," and may have been used to describe someone with a sour disposition or a person who worked with bitter herbs or citrus fruits.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Morreale can be found in historical documents from the 14th century, such as tax records and land registers. The name was particularly prevalent in the regions around Palermo and Trapani, where it is thought to have first emerged.

One of the earliest known references to the name Morreale appears in a 1382 census record from the town of Monreale, near Palermo. This document lists several families with the surname, suggesting it was already well-established in the area by that time.

In the 15th century, the name Morreale was also recorded in the annals of the Sicilian aristocracy. Notably, a nobleman named Vincenzo Morreale was mentioned in a 1488 document as a landowner in the province of Trapani.

As the Morreale family spread throughout Sicily and beyond, the name underwent various spelling variations, such as Morrialle, Morreali, and Murriali. These variations reflect the regional dialects and linguistic influences of the areas where the name took root.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Morreale was Girolamo Morreale (1492-1556), a Sicilian jurist and legal scholar who served as a judge in Palermo during the Renaissance era.

Another notable figure was Gaetano Morreale (1554-1623), a Sicilian painter and architect who designed several churches and palaces in Palermo and its surrounding areas.

In the 18th century, Antonio Morreale (1732-1798) was a prominent Sicilian composer and organist who wrote numerous sacred works and operas.

During the 19th century, Francesco Morreale (1809-1872) was a Sicilian politician and patriot who played a role in the Italian unification movement and served as a member of the Italian parliament.

More recently, Giuseppe Morreale (1900-1982) was a renowned Italian painter and sculptor from Sicily, known for his modernist works and contributions to the futurist movement.

Throughout history, the surname Morreale has maintained a strong presence in Italy, particularly in Sicily, as well as among Italian diaspora communities around the world.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

FAQ

Morreale surname: questions and answers

How common is the Morreale surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 147 in 2016. That gives Morreale a modern rank of #24,071.

What does the Morreale surname mean?