Moran ( ga, Ó Móráin) is a modern Irish surname and derived from membership of a medieval dynastic sept. The name means a descendant of ''Mórán''. “Mor” in Gaelic translates as big or great and “an” as the prefix the. Morans were a respected sept of the

Uí Fiachrach The Uí Fiachrach () were a royal dynasty who originated in, and whose descendants later ruled, the ''coicead'' or ''fifth'' of Connacht (a western province of Ireland) at different times from the mid-first millennium onwards. They claimed descent ...

dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family,''Oxford English Dictionary'', "dynasty, ''n''." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1897. usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A ...

in the western counties of

Mayo Mayo often refers to: * Mayonnaise, often shortened to "mayo" * Mayo Clinic, a medical center in Rochester, Minnesota, United States Mayo may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Mayo Peak, Marie Byrd Land Australia * Division of Mayo, an Aust ...

and

Sligo Sligo ( ; ga, Sligeach , meaning 'abounding in shells') is a coastal seaport and the county town of County Sligo, Ireland, within the western province of Connacht. With a population of approximately 20,000 in 2016, it is the List of urban areas ...

. In Ireland, where the name descended from the

Gaelic Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...

, it is generally pronounced anglicised approximate of the Irish pronunciation. Elsewhere, pronunciation follows the French surname, ''Morant'', anglicised to or . There are many different crests of Moran, many bearing three stars and the motto ''Lucent in tenebris'', Latin for "They shine in darkness". Another crest, attributed to the family of a Moran family living in Ballina, County Mayo, is described thus: "Azure on a mount proper, two lions combatant or, holding between them a flagstaff also proper, therefrom a flag argent; a crest: out of amural crown, a demi-saracen, head in profile, all proper; and a motto: 'Fides non timet.' (This motto translates as "Faith does not fear" or "The Faithful Fear Not".) The majority bearers of this surname in

County Mayo County Mayo (; ga, Contae Mhaigh Eo, meaning "Plain of the Taxus baccata, yew trees") is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Conn ...

are descended from the Ó Móráin sept whose ancient kingdom was in north Mayo, surrounding the modern town of Ballina. Following the

Norman invasion The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Normans, Norman, Duchy of Brittany, Breton, County of Flanders, Flemish, and Kingdom of France, French troops, ...

, their territory was usurped by the Barretts and Burkes and the sept lost its central organisation. The modern distribution of the surname within Mayo suggests that the Morans spread southwards and today are chiefly found in the central area of the county, particularly in the

barony Barony may refer to: * Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron * Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron * Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...

of Carra. The majority bearers of this surname in County Leitrim descended from the Ó Móráin sept of the

Muintir Eolais The Muintir Eolais of Conmaicne Réin, were nobles of Gaelic Ireland. For seven hundred years from the 8th century, they lived and ruled an area roughly conterminous to present-day south County Leitrim. Their territory comprised the lands name ...

, and more specifically the Conmhaicne of Maigh Nissi, who lived along the

River Shannon The River Shannon ( ga, Abhainn na Sionainne, ', '), at in length, is the longest river in the British Isles. It drains the Shannon River Basin, which has an area of , – approximately one fifth of the area of the island of Ireland. The Shan ...

People named Moran

A–F

Alice Moran Alice Moran is a British-Canadian actress and writer. Moran has appeared or starred in several Canadian television series, including the CBC Television series ''Crawford''. Career Moran grew up in St. Albert, Alberta and later Red Deer, Albert ...

, Canadian actress * Bernard N. Moran, American politician * Bill Moran (disambiguation) *

Brian Moran (disambiguation) Brian Moran is an American politician and a member of the Democratic Party of Virginia. Brian Moran may also refer to: *Brian Moran (baseball) (born 1988), American professional baseball pitcher *Brian T. Moran, United States Attorney {{hndis, Mor ...

* Bugs Moran (1891–1957), Chicago Prohibition-era gangster *

Caitlin Moran Catherine Elizabeth Moran (; born 5 April 1975) is an English journalist, author, and broadcaster at ''The Times'', where she writes three columns a week: one for the Saturday Magazine, a TV review column, and the satirical Friday column "Celeb ...

(born 1975), British writer and journalist *

Charles Moran (baseball) Charles Vincent Moran (March 26, 1879 – April 11, 1934) was a professional baseball infielder who played in Major League Baseball for the Washington Senators (1903–1904) and the St. Louis Browns (1904–1905). He attended Georgetown Universi ...

(1879–1934), American baseball player * Charley Moran (1878–1949), American baseball player and football coach *

Chris Moran Air Chief Marshal Sir Christopher Hugh Moran, (28 April 1956 – 26 May 2010) was a fast jet pilot and later a senior commander in the Royal Air Force. He was Commander-in-Chief of Air Command at the time of his unexpected death. Early and fam ...

(1956–2010), Royal Air Force officer * Clarence Gabriel Moran (d. 1953), barrister and writer * Colin Moran (born 1992), American baseball player * Crissy Moran (born 1975), American former pornographic actress and model *

Daniel Keys Moran Daniel Keys Moran (born November 30, 1962), also known by his initials DKM, is an American computer programmer and science fiction writer. Biography Moran was born in Los Angeles to Richard Joseph Moran and Marilynn Joyce Moran. He has three ...

(born 1962), American computer programmer and science fiction writer * David Moran (disambiguation) *

Denis Moran (Gaelic footballer) Denis "Ogie" Moran (born 16 January 1956 in Ballybunion, County Kerry) is an Irish former Gaelic footballer and manager. He played football with his local club Beale, his divisional side Shannon Rangers and also at senior level for the Kerry c ...

(born 1956), Irish Gaelic football player *

Dennis Moran (computer criminal) Dennis Michael Moran (October 27, 1982 – April 14, 2013), also known by his alias Coolio, was an American hacker (computer security), computer hacker from Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, who was accused in February 2000 of a series of denial-o ...

(1982–2013), American computer hacker *

Dennis Moran (rugby league) Dennis Moran, (born 22 January 1977) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. He played in the National Rugby League for the Parramatta Eels club and in the Super League for the London Br ...

(born 1977), British rugby league *

Diana Moran Diana Moran BEM (born Diana Ruth Dicker; 11 June 1939) is an English model, fitness expert and journalist. In the 1960s and 1970s, Moran was a print and catwalk model. She also appeared as a TV announcer and newsreader for HTV West. Career He ...

(born 1939), British model, fitness expert and journalist * Dolores Moran (1926–1982), American film actress and model *

Dov Moran Dov Moran ( he, דב מורן; born 1955) is an Israeli entrepreneur, inventor and investor, best known as the inventor of the USB memory stick, and one of the most prominent Israeli hi-tech leaders. Biography Dov Moran was born in Ramat Gan, Is ...

(born c.1956), Israeli engineer, inventor and businessman *

Dylan Moran Dylan William Moran ( ; born 3 November 1971) is an Irish comedian, writer, actor, artist and poet. He is best known for his observational comedy, the comedy series ''Black Books'' (which he co-wrote and starred in), and his work with Simon Peg ...

(born 1971), Irish comedian, writer, actor and film-maker *

Earl Moran Earl Steffa Moran (December 8, 1893 – January 17, 1984), born in Belle Plaine, Iowa, was a 20th-century pin-up and glamour artist. Moran's first instruction in art came under the direction of John Stich, an elderly German artist who also ...

(1893–1984), American pin-up and glamour artist * Edward Moran (disambiguation) * Ellen Moran (born 1967), American politician * Emilio Moran, American anthropologist * Erin Moran (1960–2017), American actress * Frances Moran (1893–1977) Irish barrister and legal scholar *

Fernando Morán (politician) Fernando Morán (25 March 1926 – 19 February 2020) was a Spanish diplomat and politician who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs (Spain), minister of foreign affairs from 1982 to 1985 in the González I Government, first government of Felipe ...

(1926–2020), Spanish diplomat and politician *

Frank Moran Francis Charles Moran (18 March 1887 – 14 December 1967) was an American boxer and film actor who fought twice for the Heavyweight Championship of the World, and appeared in over 135 movies in a 25-year film career. Sports career Born i ...

(1887–1967), American boxer and film actor

G–N

Gayle Moran Gayle Moran (born 1943) is a vocalist, keyboardist, and songwriter. She is from Spring Arbor, Michigan and graduated from Spring Arbor High School (now Spring Arbor University) in 1961. She was a member of the Mahavishnu Orchestra during the ...

(fl. 1970s), British musician * Graeme Moran (1938–1996), New Zealand Rower * Gussie Moran (1923–2013), American tennis player *

Hap Moran Francis Dale "Hap" Moran (July 31, 1901 – December 30, 1994) was a collegiate and professional American football player. He played mainly at halfback for Carnegie Tech (1922), Grinnell College (1923–1925), the Frankford Yellow Jackets (1926) ...

(1901–1994), American professional football player *

Herbert Moran Herbert Michael "Paddy" Moran (29 April 1885 – 20 November 1945) was an Australian rugby union player, a state and national representative flanker who captained the Wallabies on their first overseas tour in 1908–09. __TOC__ Early years M ...

(1885–1945), Australian rugby union player *

Ian Moran Ian Patrick Moran (born August 24, 1972) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman. Throughout his 15-year professional career, Moran played for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Boston Bruins and Anaheim Ducks in the National Hockey Leag ...

(born 1972), American professional ice hockey player *

(born 1979), Australian cricketer * Jack Moran (disambiguation) * Jackie Moran (1923–1990), American movie actor * James Moran (disambiguation) * Jason Moran (1967–2003), Australian criminal * Jason Moran (musician) (born 1975), American jazz pianist * Jerry Moran (born 1954), United States Senator from Kansas * Jim Moran (disambiguation) * Joe Moran, British social and cultural historian * John Moran (disambiguation) * Jovani Morán (born 1997), Puerto Rican baseball player * Judy Moran (born 1944), matriarch of Australian criminal family * Julie Moran (born 1962), American television personality *

Kenneth Moran Kenneth Noel Patrick Moran (c. 1919 – 13 June 1946) was a New Zealand boxer. He won the bronze medal in the men's featherweight division at the 1938 British Empire Games. He served in the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force during W ...

(c. 1919–1946), New Zealand boxer * Kevin Moran (disambiguation) * Layla Moran (born 1982), British politician * Lewis Moran (1941–2004), Australian criminal *

Lindsay Moran Lindsay Moran (born 18 December 1969) is a former clandestine officer for the Central Intelligence Agency. She is a freelance writer whose articles have appeared in ''The New York Times'', ''The Washington Post'', and ''USA Today''. In 2005, she p ...

(born 1969), American former Central Intelligence Agency officer, now a writer *

Lois Moran Lois Moran (born Lois Darlington Dowling; March 1, 1909 – July 13, 1990) was an American film and stage actress.

(1909–1990), American actress *

Malcolm Moran Malcolm Moran is an American sportswriter who has written for four newspapers over 30 years – ''Newsday'', ''The New York Times'', ''Chicago Tribune'' and ''USA Today''. In April 2006, Moran was named the inaugural Knight Chair in Sports Journa ...

, American sports writer *

Margaret Moran Margaret Mary Moran (born 24 April 1955) is a former Labour Party politician in the United Kingdom. Moran was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Luton South from the 1997 general election to 2010. In November 2012, jurors at Southwark Crown Cou ...

(born 1955), British politician * Margarita Moran-Floirendo (born 1953), Filipino former Miss Universe, peace advocate *

Mark Moran (disambiguation) Mark Moran may refer to: * Mark Moran (criminal) (1964–2000), criminal of the infamous Moran family from Melbourne, Australia, * Mark Moran (rugby league), Wales rugby league footballer * Mark Moran (soccer) (born 1954), retired American soccer m ...

Martin Moran Martin Moran (born December 29, 1959) is an American actor and writer who grew up in Denver, Colorado. He attended Stanford University and is best known for his autobiographical solo show about his childhood molestation called '' The Tricky Pa ...

(born 1959), American actor *

Martin Moran (climber) Martin Moran (19 February 1955 – 26 May 2019) was a British climber, mountain guide and author. In 1985, he became the first person to climb all the Munros (mountains in Scotland over 3000 ft (914.4m) in height) during a single winter ...

(1955-2019) British mountaineer * Martin Moran (footballer) (fl. 1900s), Scottish footballer *

Matt Moran Matthew Moran (born 15 May 1969) is an Australian chef and restaurateur also known for being a guest on various TV cooking shows. Early life Moran was raised on a dairy farm at Badgerys Creek, west of Sydney, before moving to the outer-west ...

, Australian chef *

Mayo Moran Mayo Moran (born June 2, 1959) is a Canadian lawyer and academic. From 2006 to 2014, she was Dean (education), Dean of the University of Toronto Faculty of Law, Faculty of Law of the University of Toronto. She was the first female dean of that fac ...

(born 1959), dean of the Faculty of Law of the University of Toronto * Michael Moran (disambiguation) *

Michelle Moran Michelle Moran (born August 11, 1980) is an American novelist known for her historical fiction writing. Biography Michelle Moran was born in California's San Fernando Valley, August 11, 1980. She took an interest in writing from an early age, pu ...

(born 1980), American novelist * Mike Moran (music producer) (born 1948), English keyboard musician and producer *

Nancy Moran Nancy Moran (born Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States) is an American folk-rock singer-songwriter, based in Nashville, Tennessee. In 1992, she was a finalist in the Kerrville Folk Festival New Folk Competition. '' Dirty Linen'' reportedly d ...

, American singer and songwriter * Nick Moran (born 1968), British actor

O–Z

Paddy Moran (disambiguation) Paddy Moran may refer to: *Paddy Moran (Gaelic footballer) (born 1967), former Dublin Gaelic football player *Paddy Moran (hurler) (born 1939), Irish retired hurler *Paddy Moran (ice hockey) (1877–1966), professional ice hockey goaltender *Herber ...

* Pat Moran (disambiguation) * Patrick Moran (disambiguation) * Paul Moran (disambiguation) *

Pauline Moran Pauline Moran (born 26 August 1947) is an English actress, presenter, and astrologer, best known for her role as Miss Felicity Lemon in the British television series ''Agatha Christie's Poirot''. She trained at several schools, including the Na ...

(born 1947), English actress *

Peggy Moran Peggy Moran (born Mary Jeanette Moran, October 23, 1918 – October 24, 2002) was an American film actress who appeared in films between 1938 and 1943. Early years Born in Clinton, Iowa, Moran was the daughter of Earl Moran, an artist wh ...

(1918–2002), American film actress * Percy Moran (1862–1935), American artist *

Peter K. Moran Peter K. Moran . K. Moran(30 June 1767 – 10 February 1831) was an Irish pianist, composer, and music publisher – probably the earliest classical composer from Ireland to emigrate to the United States. Life Moran was probably born in Dubl ...

(1767–1831), Irish composer and pianist * Polly Moran (1883–1952), American actress and comedian * Rachel Moran (born 1956), American lawyer *

Regina Moran Regina Moran FIEI served as CEO of Fujitsu Ireland and UK. She was the President for Engineers Ireland for 2014. She is a Fellow of Engineers of Ireland. Moran is currently Vodafone Enterprise Director and chair of THEA, the Technological Highe ...

, Irish Engineer * Reid Venable Moran (1916–2010), American botanist and museum curator * Richard Moran (disambiguation) *

Robert Moran Robert Moran (born January 8, 1937) is an American composer of operas and ballets as well as numerous orchestral, vocal, chamber and dance works. Life A native of Denver, Moran studied twelve-tone music privately with Hans Apostel in Vienna an ...

(born 1937), American composer *

Robert Moran (shipbuilder) Robert Moran (January 26, 1857 – March 27, 1943) was a Seattle shipbuilder who served as the city's mayor from 1888 to 1890. Today he is primarily remembered for Moran Brothers Co. shipbuilders, his work as mayor to rebuild after the Great Seatt ...

(1857–1943), American shipbuilder * Rocky Moran (born 1950), American race car driver *

Roger Moran Roger Moran is a British hillclimb driver, who won the British Hillclimb Championship The British Hill Climb Championship (BHCC) is the most prestigious Hillclimbing championship in Great Britain. Hillclimbing in the British Isles has a rich hi ...

, British hillclimb driver *

Ronnie Moran Ronald Moran (28 February 1934 – 22 March 2017) was a Liverpool F.C., Liverpool captain and coach who twice served as caretaker manager in the early 1990s. Having spent his entire playing career at the club, he then became a member of the Boo ...

(1934–2017), British football coach *

Sam Moran Samuel Alexander Moran (born 4 April 1978) is an Australian entertainer best known for having been a member of the children's band the Wiggles from 2006 to 2012. Early life Moran was born in Sydney and raised in Wagga Wagga. Career Moran stu ...

(born 1978), Australian entertainer *

Sean Moran Sean Farrell Moran (born June 5, 1973 in Aurora, Colorado) was an American football defensive lineman in the National Football League for the Buffalo Bills, St. Louis Rams, and the San Francisco 49ers. He played college football at Colorado St ...

(born 1973), American football player * Shane Moran (born 1960), Australian businessman *

Shawn Moran Shawn Moran (born November 19, 1961 in Lakewood, California) is an American former professional motorcycle speedway rider who was one of the most popular and talented riders ever to race for Sheffield Tigers who also represented the United State ...

(born 1961), American speedway rider * Simon Moran, British concert promoter *

Shlomo Moran Shlomo Moran ( he, שלמה מורן; born 1947) is an Israeli computer scientist, the Bernard Elkin Chair in Computer Science at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, Israel. Moran received his Ph.D. in 1979 from the Technion, ...

(born 1947), Israeli computer scientist *

Steve Moran Stephen James Moran (born on 10 January 1961) is a former footballer who played as a striker for Southampton during the 1980s. Moran was one of the finest strikers that Southampton has possessed. He had a knack of scoring some crucial goals for ...

(born 1961), English football player *

Terry Moran Terry Moran is an American journalist, currently Senior National Correspondent at ABC News. Based in Washington, D.C., Moran covers national politics and policy, reporting from the Trump White House, the Supreme Court, and the campaign trail fo ...

(born 1959), American journalist * Terry Moran (public servant) (born 1947), senior official in the Australian Public Service * Thomas Moran (disambiguation) * Tom Moran (disambiguation) *

Tony Moran Anthony "Tony" Moran is a DJ, record producer, remixer, singer and songwriter known for remixing popular songs. In 2007, he hit number one on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot Dance Club Play chart twice with " Walk Away" featuring Kristine W and "Kee ...

, American remixer, producer and singer-songwriter *

Tony Moran (actor) Anthony Moran (born August 14, 1957) is an American actor and producer. He is known for briefly playing the unmasked Michael Myers in the 1978 horror classic ''Halloween''. Since then he has gone on to make guest appearances in television series ...

(born 1957), American actor and producer *

Trevi Moran Trevi Moran (formerly known as Trevor Moran; September 30, 1998) is an American singer and YouTube personality. She rose to fame after participating in ''The X Factor'' in 2012 at the age of 13. As of April 2020, Moran's YouTube channel surpass ...

, American recording artist, singer and YouTube personality * Vic Moran, Scottish curler *

William Joseph Moran William Joseph Moran (January 15, 1906 – August 23, 1996) was a Roman Catholic bishop who served the Archdiocese for the Military Services. Biography Born in San Francisco, California, Moran was ordained to the priesthood on June 20, 1931, f ...

(1906–1996), American Roman Catholic bishop * William L. Moran (1921–2000), American Assyriologist

Fictional characters

* Alex Moran, principal character in the

Spike Spike, spikes, or spiking may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Books * ''The Spike'' (novel), a novel by Arnaud de Borchgrave * ''The Spike'' (book), a nonfiction book by Damien Broderick * ''The Spike'', a starship in Peter F. Hamilto ...

TV series '' Blue Mountain State'' * Blake Moran, main character of the TV series '' Madam Secretary'' * Gia Moran, the Yellow Ranger in Power Rangers Megaforce and

Power Rangers Super Megaforce ''Power Rangers Megaforce'' is the twentieth season of the long-running television series ''Power Rangers''. The show is produced by SCG Power Rangers and began airing on Nickelodeon on February 2, 2013. The show was part of the ''Power Rangers ...

*Jacques Moran, second narrator and seeker of the eponymous

Molloy Molloy or O'Molloy is an Irish surname, anglicised from Ó Maolmhuaidh, maolmhuadh meaning 'Proud Chieftain'. (See also Malloy.) They were part of the southern Uí Néill, the southern branch of the large tribal grouping claiming descent from Ni ...

in the novel by Samuel Beckett * Jacques Moran, son of Jacques Moran, second narrator of Molloy; as Moran ''père'' writes, "His name is Jacques, like mine. This cannot lead to confusion." *

Lucy Moran The following is a list of characters from the television series ''Twin Peaks'', the film ''Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me'', and the Twin Peaks (season 3), 2017 revival. Overview Concepts Bob Frank Silva was a set decorator who worked ...

, character in ''Twin Peaks'' * Michael Moran, the central character in John McGahern's novel '' Amongst Women'' * Moran, a female Irish Quidditch player in ''Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire'' * Pamela Moran, a main character from the TV series ''

Army Wives ''Army Wives'' is an American drama television series that followed the lives of four army wives, one army husband, and their families. The series premiered on Lifetime on June 3, 2007, and ran for seven seasons, ending on June 9, 2013. The sh ...

'' * Sebastian Moran, Moriarty's henchman in the Sherlock Holmes short story "The Adventure of the Empty House" * Summer Moran, a recurring character in Clive Cussler's novels featuring Dirk Pitt * Simon Moran, a main character in "The Returned" series.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moran (Surname) Irish families Surnames of Irish origin People of Conmaicne Maigh Nissi English-language surnames Surnames of British Isles origin