NameCensus.

UK surname

Morse

Derived from the Old French "mors," referring to someone who lived near a marsh or moor.

In the 1881 census there were 2,745 people recorded with the Morse surname, ranking it #1,627 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 3,608, ranked #1,880, down from #1,627 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos), Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff and Swindon, Lyddington. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire and Forest of Dean.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Morse is 3,793 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 31.4%.

1881 census count

2,745

Ranked #1,627

Modern count

3,608

2016, ranked #1,880

Peak year

1999

3,793 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Morse had 2,745 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,627 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 3,608 in 2016, ranked #1,880.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 3,687 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Morse surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Morse surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Morse 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
1851 historical 1,711 #1,689
1861 historical 1,435 #1,981
1881 historical 2,745 #1,627
1891 historical 2,625 #1,814
1901 historical 3,326 #1,683
1911 historical 3,687 #1,410
1997 modern 3,636 #1,785
1998 modern 3,780 #1,782
1999 modern 3,793 #1,791
2000 modern 3,741 #1,800
2001 modern 3,685 #1,791
2002 modern 3,759 #1,802
2003 modern 3,662 #1,812
2004 modern 3,645 #1,819
2005 modern 3,622 #1,802
2006 modern 3,557 #1,838
2007 modern 3,569 #1,849
2008 modern 3,602 #1,841
2009 modern 3,701 #1,834
2010 modern 3,703 #1,875
2011 modern 3,691 #1,861
2012 modern 3,593 #1,872
2013 modern 3,679 #1,864
2014 modern 3,687 #1,870
2015 modern 3,640 #1,874
2016 modern 3,608 #1,880

Geography

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Where Morses are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos), Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Swindon, Lyddington, London parishes and Newland (Bream, Clearwell, Newland, Coleford), West Dean. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire and Forest of Dean. 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 Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos) Glamorganshire
2 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
3 Swindon, Lyddington Wiltshire
4 London parishes London 1
5 Newland (Bream, Clearwell, Newland, Coleford), West Dean Monmouthshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Pembrokeshire 002 Pembrokeshire
2 Carmarthenshire 027 Carmarthenshire
3 Forest of Dean 008 Forest of Dean
4 Forest of Dean 009 Forest of Dean
5 Forest of Dean 007 Forest of Dean

Forenames

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First names often paired with Morse

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Morse

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Morse, 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

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Morse surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Morse household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Morse is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Morse is most concentrated in decile 5 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Morse falls in decile 7 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Morse is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

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

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Morse

The surname Morse is derived from the Old English word "mor" meaning marsh or fen, and the surname likely originated in regions of England where marshlands or wetlands were prevalent. It is thought to be an occupational name referring to someone who lived or worked near a marsh.

One of the earliest known recordings of the name Morse dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it was listed as "Morsce" in Cambridgeshire, England. Other early spellings included Mors, Morsse, and Morshe. The Morse surname was particularly concentrated in counties such as Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, and Suffolk in the eastern part of England.

Notable historical figures bearing the surname Morse include Sir Robert Morse (1590-1662), an English politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1638. Another was Samuel Morse (1791-1872), the American inventor and painter who co-developed the Morse code for telegraphy and is considered the founder of modern communications technology.

John Morse (1756-1828) was an American missionary and educator who helped establish the first American Christian mission in India. Jedidiah Morse (1761-1826) was an American Congregationalist minister, geographer, and author of several influential texts on American geography and history.

In the field of literature, Sidney Morse (1832-1903) was an American author and editor known for his works on travel and geography. Reverend James Morse (1638-1708) was a prominent early Puritan minister in Massachusetts, known for his role in the Salem Witch Trials.

The Morse surname has also been associated with various place names, such as Morse Farm in Watertown, Massachusetts, and Morse Pond in Franklin County, Vermont, reflecting the historical presence of families with this name in those regions.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Morse families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Morse surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Gloucestershire leads with 502 Morses recorded in 1881 and an index of 9.54x.

County Total Index
Gloucestershire 502 9.54x
Middlesex 343 1.28x
Wiltshire 273 11.51x
Somerset 266 6.16x
Pembrokeshire 221 25.93x
Surrey 175 1.34x
Glamorgan 146 3.13x
Essex 56 1.06x
Monmouthshire 54 2.79x
Oxfordshire 50 3.02x
Carmarthenshire 49 4.34x
Hampshire 48 0.87x
Berkshire 44 2.19x
Norfolk 44 1.07x
Lancashire 43 0.14x
Suffolk 43 1.32x
Devon 41 0.73x
Yorkshire 40 0.15x
Kent 37 0.40x
Warwickshire 34 0.50x
Cornwall 32 1.05x
Worcestershire 25 0.71x
Staffordshire 21 0.23x
Shropshire 20 0.86x
Sussex 18 0.40x
Northamptonshire 16 0.63x
Nottinghamshire 15 0.42x
Northumberland 14 0.35x
Durham 12 0.15x
Cambridgeshire 10 0.59x
Bedfordshire 9 0.65x
Derbyshire 8 0.19x
Lanarkshire 6 0.07x
Herefordshire 5 0.45x
Channel Islands 4 0.50x
Cheshire 4 0.07x
Buckinghamshire 3 0.19x
Dorset 3 0.17x
Leicestershire 3 0.10x
Westmorland 3 0.51x
Anglesey 2 0.42x
Midlothian 2 0.06x
Cardiganshire 1 0.15x
Cumberland 1 0.04x
Denbighshire 1 0.10x
Dunbartonshire 1 0.14x
Hertfordshire 1 0.05x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. West Dean in Gloucestershire leads with 72 Morses recorded in 1881 and an index of 84.28x.

Place Total Index
West Dean 72 84.28x
Liddiard Millicent 67 823.10x
Westbury On Severn East 60 50.46x
Bedminster 53 13.07x
St Pancras London 49 2.27x
Pembroke St Mary 41 37.36x
Lambeth 40 1.71x
Aberdare 36 11.23x
Camberwell 34 1.98x
St Marylebone London 34 2.37x
Horsley 32 137.34x
Haverfordwest St Mary 31 253.06x
Wroughton 29 141.19x
Pembrey 28 53.88x
Stratton St Margaret 28 76.97x
Swansea Town 28 7.31x
Veryan 28 238.10x
Williton 27 186.72x
Swindon 24 13.05x
Islington London 23 0.88x
Liddiard Tregooze 22 363.04x
Newland 21 47.51x
Aston 20 1.07x
Battersea 19 1.93x
St Decumans Watchet 19 173.99x
Taunton St James 19 30.18x
West Ham 19 1.63x
Hammersmith London 18 2.72x
Shrivenham 18 180.54x
Hackney London 16 1.06x
St Woollos 16 7.40x
Croydon 15 2.07x
Hardingstone 15 62.29x
St Davids 15 77.76x
Begelly 14 273.44x
Chedworth 14 184.94x
Cirencester 14 19.66x
Clifton 14 5.27x
Kensington London 14 0.94x
Sampford Brett 14 703.52x
Wembdon 14 109.63x
Bristol St Augustine 13 15.32x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 13 2.63x
Bromley London 13 2.20x
Newington 13 1.31x
Newnham 13 96.23x
Williamston 13 286.98x
Haycastle 12 449.44x
Heigham 12 5.42x
Hendon 12 12.44x
Paddington London 12 1.22x
Penarth 12 26.30x
St George Hanover 12 3.43x
Stanton Lacy 12 59.97x
Bishopwearmouth 11 1.61x
Camrose 11 135.14x
Hampstead London 11 2.63x
Llandaff 11 7.08x
Minety 11 166.92x
Pembroke St Michael 11 89.07x
Purton 11 52.13x
St Edrins 11 1309.52x
Cam 10 61.96x
Chelsea London 10 1.24x
Eaton St Andrew 10 87.34x
Epsom 10 15.70x
Haverfordwest St Thomas 10 58.62x
Llandawke 10 5263.16x
Rodbourne Cheney 10 54.62x
St Lawrence 10 571.43x
Abbots Leigh 9 268.66x
Bampton 9 70.26x
Barnsley 9 355.73x
Bicknoller 9 300.00x
Kingstanley 9 46.32x
Llantrisant 9 7.65x
Lound 9 222.77x
Nottingham St Mary 9 0.96x
Stroud 9 8.79x
Willesden 9 3.56x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Morse surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 174
Elizabeth 107
Sarah 82
Jane 50
Ann 49
Eliza 45
Emily 40
Ellen 39
Alice 38
Annie 31
Martha 30
Margaret 28
Emma 25
Fanny 25
Edith 24
Florence 24
Hannah 23
Caroline 19
Louisa 18
Anne 16
Kate 16
Ada 15
Catherine 15
Harriet 15
Clara 14
Frances 13
Maria 13
Agnes 12
Minnie 12
Esther 11
Matilda 11
Rose 10
Sophia 10
Julia 9
Laura 8
Charlotte 7
Harriett 7
Lucy 7
Susan 7
Isabella 6
Rosa 6
Amy 5
Anna 5
Elizth. 5
Gertrude 5
Beatrice 4
Eva 4
Georgina 4
Lillian 4
Margret 4

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Morse surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 198
John 120
George 86
Thomas 83
James 73
Charles 72
Henry 64
Joseph 44
Alfred 41
Frederick 41
Edward 36
Robert 36
Albert 34
Arthur 30
Richard 25
Walter 20
David 17
Samuel 14
Frank 11
Edwin 10
Ernest 10
Francis 10
Herbert 9
Sidney 7
Howard 6
Stephen 6
Thos. 6
Harry 5
Isaac 5
Joshua 5
Alexander 4
Benjamin 4
Eli 4
Fredrick 4
Job 4
Levi 4
Peter 4
Tom 4
Wm. 4
Edgar 3
Edmund 3
Fred 3
Frederic 3
Jas. 3
Jesse 3
Richd. 3
Sydney 3
Chas. 2
Leonard 2
Mark 2

FAQ

Morse surname: questions and answers

How common was the Morse surname in 1881?

In 1881, 2,745 people were recorded with the Morse surname. That placed it at #1,627 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Morse surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 3,608 in 2016. That gives Morse a modern rank of #1,880.

What does the Morse surname mean?

Derived from the Old French "mors," referring to someone who lived near a marsh or moor.

What does the Morse map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Morse bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.