Mori Family History
Mori Surname Meaning
Japanese: variously written but most often 森 ‘forest’ and denoting the sacred grove around a Shintō shrine. The character 守 listed in the Shinsen shōjiroku means ‘guard’ or ‘keeper’. The name is mainly found in west-central Japan, the island of Shikoku, and in the Ryūkyū Islands.
Japanese (Mōri): written phonetically 毛利 ‘hair’ and ‘advantage’. Bearers of this name are also of the original Mori family (see 1 above). Italian: patronymic or plural form of Moro.
German (Möri): from a pet form of the personal name Morhart (see Morath). Hungarian (Móri): habitational name for someone from a place called Mór in Fejér County of Hungary.
Hungarian (Móri): patronymic from the personal name Mór from Latin Maurus. Slovenian: from a vernacular pet form of the personal name Maver from Latin Maurus ‘Moor’ (see Mauro) or perhaps Moric, a German-influenced variant of Mavricij from Latin Mauritius (see Morris).
English and Scottish: perhaps occasionally a variant of Morey.
Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022