Maurice is a traditionally masculine

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a f ...

, also used as a surname. It originates as a French name derived from the Latin

Mauritius Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Ag ...

or Mauricius and was subsequently used in other languages. Its popularity is due to

, a saint of the Theban Legion (died 287). ''Mauritius'' is otherwise attested as a given name of the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...

period, in origin meaning "one from

Mauretania Mauretania (; ) is the Latin name for a region in the ancient Maghreb. It extended from central present-day Algeria to the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, encompassing northern present-day Morocco, and from the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean in the ...

", i.e. "the Moor". Forms in other languages include: Latvian Māris, Spanish Mauricio, Portuguese Maurício, Italian Maurizio, Dutch Maurits, Greek Μαυρίκιος (Mavrikios), Russian Маврикий (Mavrikiy), German Moritz, Czech Mořic, English Morris. In the form Morris, it is also used as a secularized version of the Jewish name Moishe.

Given name

Late Antiquity to Middle Ages

* Saint Maurice also Moritz, Morris, or Mauritius (died 287), Roman legionnaire and Christian martyr *

Maurice (emperor) Maurice (; ; 539 – 27 November 602) was Eastern Roman emperor from 582 to 602 and the last member of the Justinian dynasty. A successful general, Maurice was chosen as heir and son-in-law by his predecessor Tiberius II. Maurice's reign was ...

or Flavius Mauricius Tiberius Augustus (539–602), Byzantine emperor *

Maurice (bishop of London) Maurice (died 1107) was the third Lord Chancellor and Lord Keeper of England, as well as Bishop of London. Life Maurice was Archdeacon An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in the Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Ort ...

(died 1107), bishop of London, Lord Chancellor and Lord Keeper of England * Maurice of Carnoet (1117–1191), French abbot and saint * Maurice, Count of Oldenburg (fl. 1169–1211), count of Oldenburg * Mauritius (Dean of Armagh) (fl. 13th century), Irish cleric, Dean of Armagh 1238 * Maurice of Inchaffray (14th century), Scottish bishop * Maurice Spata (14th to early 15th century), Albanian ruler of Arta from 1399 to 1414/15

Early Modern

* Maurice, Elector of Saxony (1521–1553), German Saxon nobleman * Maurice, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg (1551–1612), duke of Saxe-Lauenburg * Maurice, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel or Maurice the Learned (1572–1632), Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel *

Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange Maurice of Orange (; 14 November 1567 – 23 April 1625) was ''stadtholder'' of all the provinces of the Dutch Republic except for Lordship of Frisia, Friesland from 1585 at the earliest until his death on 23 April 1625. Before he became P ...

(1567–1625), stadtholder of the Netherlands * Maurice of Savoy (1593–1657), prince of Savoy and a cardinal * Maurice, Duke of Saxe-Zeitz (1619–1681), duke of Saxe-Zeitz *

Maurice of the Palatinate Maurice, Prince Palatine of the Rhine KG (16 January 1621 – 1 September 1652) was the fourth son of Frederick V, Elector Palatine and Princess Elizabeth, daughter of King James VI and I and Anne of Denmark. Life Maurice was present with h ...

(1620–1652), Count Palatine of the Rhine *

William Maurice, Prince of Nassau-Siegen Prince William Maurice of Nassau-Siegen (18/28 January 1649 – 23 January 1691Julian calendar, Jul.), , official titles: ''Fürst zu Nassau, Graf zu Katzenelnbogen, Vianden, Diez, Limburg und Bronkhorst, Herr zu Beilstein, Stirum ...

(1649–1691), prince of Nassau-Siegen

Modern

* Maurice of Battenberg (1891–1914), prince of the Battenberg family and member of the British Royal Family * Maurice of the Netherlands (1843–1850), prince of Orange-Nassau * Maurice Anderson (born 1975), American football player * Maurice Bailey (died 2018), formerly missing person lost at sea * Maurice Baker (born 1979), American basketball player and coach * Maurice Banks (born 1983), American football coach * Maurice De Bevere (1923–2001), Belgian cartoonist * Maurice Binder (1918–1991), American film title designer * Maurice Blanchot (1907–2003), French writer, philosopher, and literary theorist * Maurice Bowra (1898–1971), English classical scholar and academic * Maurice de Bus (1907–1963), French sculptor * Maurice Riemer Calhoun, Sr., known as Riemer Calhoun (1909–1994), American politician * Maurice Chevalier, (1888–1972), French actor, singer and entertainer * Maurice Cowling (1926–2005), British historian * Maurice Cox (born 1972), American basketball player * Maurice Crum (disambiguation), multiple people * Maurice Deligne (1861–1939), French politician * Maurice Duplessis (1890–1959), 16th Premier of Quebec, Canada * Maurice Duval (1869–1958), French general and aviator * Maurice Evans (disambiguation), multiple people * Maurice Fadel (1928–2009), Lebanese businessman and politician * Maurice Failevic (1933–2016), French film director * Maurice Ffrench (born 1998), American football player * Maurice Elwood Frump, known as Babe Frump (1901–1979), American football player * Maurice Gambier d'Hurigny (1912–2000), French sculptor * Maurice Gamelin (1872–1958), French general remembered for his unsuccessful command of the French military in 1940 during the Battle of France * Maurice Garin (1871–1957), French road bicycle racer *

Maurice Gibb Maurice Ernest Gibb (; 22 December 1949 – 12 January 2003) was a British musician and songwriter. He achieved global fame as a member of the Bee Gees pop group. Although his elder brother Barry Gibb and fraternal twin brother Robin Gibb wer ...

(1949–2003), British singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer * Maurice Grau (1849–1907), Austrian-born American impresario * Maurice Greene (athlete), American sprinter * Maurice Grevisse (1895–1980), Belgian grammarian * Maurice A. Hartnett III (1927–2009), American jurist who served as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Delaware * Maurice Heaton (1900–1990), Swiss-born American glass artist * Maurice Healy (campaigner) (1933–2020), British consumer campaigner * Maurice Howard, British art historian * Maurice Hurst Jr. (born 1995), American football player * Maurice Anthony Jayaweera, Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army 1969-1974 * Maurice Jenks (1872-1946), 604th

Lord Mayor Lord mayor is a title of a mayor of what is usually a major city in a Commonwealth realm, with special recognition bestowed by the sovereign. However, the title or an equivalent is present in other countries, including forms such as "high mayor". A ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

* Maurice Kemp (born 1991), American basketball player in the

Israeli Basketball Premier League Ligat HaAl (, lit., ''Supreme League or Premier League''), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is a professional basketball league in Israel and the highest level of basketball in the country. The league's name is abbreviated as either BSL ...

* Maurice LaMarche, Canadian actor * Maurice Leblanc (1864–1941), French novelist and writer * Maurice Leyland (1900–1967), English cricketer * Maurice Line (1928–2010), British library and information scientist * Maurice Meisner (1931–2012), historian of 20th century China * Maurice de Mel, Sri Lankan Sinhala army colonel *

Maurice Merleau-Ponty Maurice Jean Jacques Merleau-Ponty. ( ; ; 14 March 1908 – 3 May 1961) was a French phenomenological philosopher, strongly influenced by Edmund Husserl and Martin Heidegger. The constitution of meaning in human experience was his main interes ...

(1908–1961), French phenomenological philosopher * Maurice Joseph Micklewhite, birth name of Michael Caine, English actor * Maurice Ndour (born 1992), Senegalese basketball player for Hapoel Jerusalem of the

* Maurice O'Neill (Irish republican) (d. 1942), executed Irish Republican * Maurice Pelletier (1896–1971), Canadian politician * Maurice Pluskota (born 1992), German basketball player * Maurice Ravel (1875–1937), French Impressionist music composer and pianist *

Maurice Richard Joseph Henri Maurice "Rocket" Richard ( , ; August 4, 1921 – May 27, 2000) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Montreal Canadiens. He was the first player in NHL his ...

(1921–2000), Canadian ice hockey player * Maurice Rioli (1957–2010), Australian football player * Maurice Roëves (1937–2020), English actor * Maurice Rozenthal (born 1975), French ice hockey player * Maurice Ruah (born 1971), Venezuelan tennis player * Maurice Sendak (1928–2012), American known for ''Where the Wild Things Are'' * Maurice K. Smith (1926–2020), New Zealand-born American architect * Maurice Salvador Sreshta (1872–1952), Postmaster General of Sri Lanka from 1923 to 1928 * Maurice Stuckey (born 1990), German basketball player * Maurice Schwartz (1889–1960), Russian-born actor * Maurice Tornay (1910–1949), Swiss Catholic missionary * Maurice Tulloch (born 1969), British/Canadian businessman * Maurice Utrillo (1883–1955), French painter * Maurice Vellacott (born 1955), Canadian politician * Maurice Vinot (1888–1916), French film actor * Maurice de Vlaminck (1876–1958), French painter, one of the principals in the Fauve movement * Maurice Watson (born 1993), American basketball player for Maccabi Rishon LeZion of the

* Maurice Wilkins (1916–2004), New Zealand-born English physicist and molecular biologist, and Nobel Laureate

Fictional characters

*Maurice, a character from the 1991 and 2017 films based on Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve's '' Beauty and the Beast''. *Maurice, Samantha Steven's father in '' Bewitched''. *Maurice, a monster character in the 1989 film '' Little Monsters'' * Maurice Lalonde (''Highlander'' character), character in the television program ''Highlander: The Series'' * Maurice Levy (''The Wire''), character in the television program ''The Wire'' * Maurice Moss, character from the British sitcom ''The IT Crowd'' * Rap Master Maurice, a character portrayed by artist Derek Erdman * Sonic Maurice Hedgehog, real name of Sonic the Hedgehog in the Archie Comics * Maurice Hall, protagonist in the book ''Maurice'' by E.M. Forster * Maurice Conchis from the novel 'The Magus' by

John Fowles John Robert Fowles (; 31 March 1926 – 5 November 2005) was an English novelist, critically positioned between modernism and postmodernism. His work was influenced by Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus, among others. After leaving Oxford Uni ...

* Maurice a character from the novel 'Undersea Reincarnation' by calcroissant * Maurice, a virtuous orangutan who acts as adviser to the noble chimpanzee leader Caesar on '' Rise of the Planet of the Apes'', '' Dawn of the Planet of the Apes'', and '' War of the Planet of the Apes''.

Surname

Ann Maurice Ann Maurice (born November 11, 1951) is an American interior designer and house stager perhaps best known in the UK as Channel 5's " House Doctor". She also hosted two series of ''Ann Maurice: Interior Rivalry'' for the same channel in 2006 and ...

(born 1951), American interior designer and house stager, called "The House Doctor" * Arthur Bartlett Maurice (1873–1946), American editor of the Woodbridge (NJ) ''Register'' * Benoît Maurice (born 1971), French football central defender * Charles G. Maurice (1911–1997), American teacher of dentistry and pioneer of endodontics * Clément Maurice (1853–1933), French photographer * David Maurice (1626–1702), Welsh priest and translator * David M. Maurice (1922–2002), British ophthalmologist * Emil Maurice (1897–1972), German watchmaker and senior Nazi Party official * Florian Maurice (born 1974), French footballer * Frederick Barton Maurice (1871–1951), British general, military correspondent, writer and academic * Frederick Denison Maurice (1805–1872), British author, theologian, and socialist * Henry Maurice (minister) (1634–1682), Welsh priest who became an Independent minister * Henry Maurice (theologian) (c. 1647 – 1691), Welsh clergyman and professor * Henry Gascoyne Maurice (1847–1950), English zoologist * Hugh Maurice (1775–1825), transcriber of Welsh manuscripts * James Maurice (1814–1884), American politician from New York * James Wilkes Maurice (1775–1857), United Kingdom Royal Navy officer * Jean-Eudes Maurice (born 1986), French-born Haitian footballer * John D. Maurice, American writer and Pulitzer Prize winner * John Frederick Maurice (1841–1912), English soldier and military writer * María Belén Pérez Maurice (born 1985), Argentine fencer * Mary Maurice (1844–1918), American actress * Mathias Maurice (1684–1738), Welsh minister and writer * Monica Maurice (1908–1995) industrialist, first, and for 40 years the only, woman member of the Association of Mining Electrical Engineers, known as "the Lady of the Lamp". * Paul Maurice (born 1967), Canadian hockey player and coach *

Paule Maurice Paule Charlotte Marie Jeanne Maurice (29 September 1910 – 18 August 1967) was a French composer. Life and career Maurice was born in Paris to Raoul Auguste Alexandre Maurice and Marguerite Jeanne Lebrun. Registration lists at the Conservato ...

(1910–1967), French composer * Peter Maurice (priest) (1803–1878), Welsh priest and writer * Peter Maurice (bishop) (born 1951), English cleric – bishop of Taunton * Richard Maurice (1893– fl. 1951), Cuban-American filmmaker and labor organizer * Thomas Maurice (fl. 1755–1824), English poet oriental scholar, historian, chaplain and vicar * William Maurice (politician) (1552–1622), Welsh politician (an anglicization of his patronymic, ap Morys) * William Maurice (antiquary) (1620–1680), Welsh antiquary and collector of manuscripts

Notes

{{given name, type=both English masculine given names Masculine given names French masculine given names English-language masculine given names Lists of people by given name Surnames from given names