Moran Name Study

Date: 5 Feb 2024 [unknown]
Location: [unknown]
Surnames/tags: Moran Ireland

This is a project that we hope will become a valuable reference point for any Moran researchers alike to share their knowledge by posting their DNA tests, resources, pictures, stories, and anything else of interest to this surname.

Please join by contacting the project leader, Brian Zalewski. See the section on goals and what you can do below. Post questions and comments to the bulletin board and add details about your particular area of interest.

Etymology

The Moran surname is Irish: Moran is the anglicisation of a number of distinct Irish names. O Morain, from a diminutive of mor, meaning "big", (which makes the name, roughly translated, "Little Big Man") arose in Co. Mayo, near the modern town of Ballina, where the eponymous ancestor Morain held power. Another family with the same name, part of the Muintir Eolais, were based in Co. Leitrim.

O Mughrain - the origins of the name remain unclear - was also the name of two distinct Connacht families. One was a minor branch of the Ui Maine tribal grouping, based around Criffon in Co. Galway. The other were related to the O'Connors of Connacht and based near the modern village of Elphin in north Roscommon.

O Murchain, from murchadha, meaning "sea-warrior", is now generally anglicised Moran, though it has also been rendered as Morahan and Morrin. The family were originally of east Offaly, near the border with Co. Kildare.^[1]

Goals

This surname study is still very new. The main goal would be to try to at least connect some of these lines back to the Ireland area where the Moran name seems to originate in most cases, though there is historical evidence of it appearing in France and Spain.

The purpose of this study is to bring together any Moran descendants who are willing to work together to establish an accurate Moran Family tree by using the best possible sources available for documentation to make new connections.

Participation

There is no obligatory time commitment or work responsibility required. Contribute as you like, when you can. Researching and refining the documentation of your own Moran ancestry is obviously of enormous value.

To keep abreast of WikiTree communications dealing with the Study, add the G2G tag "Moran".

To view individual WikiTree profiles currently associated with the effort, please visit the Study's WikiTree Category page.

Category Code

To get started as a Study participant, all you need to do is add the Study's WikiTree Category Code to the profiles of people you manage who were born with the surname or any of its variant spellings:

[[Category:Moran Name Study]]

Just copy and paste that line immediately above the "== Biography ==" line of the relevant profiles that you manage. Simple and easy. This adds the profile automatically to the page that maintains a list of all associated profiles. If you don't wish to have the ONS sticker displayed near the top of the biography section of a profile, using only this Category code will include the profile in the Study in an unobtrusive way.

Profile Stickers

Optionally, there are two WikiTree "stickers" you can use to highlight your Moran profiles.

Sticker for Ancestral Profiles

The first is specifically for Moran (and related variant) lineages. It can be used in place of the Category code shown above: including the sticker automatically adds a profile to the Category. Category information now appears at the very bottom of the profile page, so if you wish to better highlight that the profile is part of the Study you can add this sticker directly underneath the "== Biography ==" line:

{{One Name Study|name=Moran}}

The result—with a unique icon designed for the Study—will look like the small box at right, above.

Sticker for Your Own Profile

The second sticker is for use only on the profiles of living people who are participating in the Study. Like you! Again, paste it underneath the "== Biography ==" line:

{{Member|ONS|name=Moran}}

It will look something like the second box on the right, but your name will be inserted automatically in place of the dots that you see.

What Can I Do?

If you've put up all of the Moran individuals in your family (or at least all the ones you've found so far), and are looking for something else to do, here are some tasks that you might be willing to help with:

1. Biographies:
   • We need to make sure that each Moran on WikiTree has a narrative biography containing all the genealogically relevant facts about them (birth, marriage, and death at the very least). For information on biographies, see the Biographies help page.
2. Categories:
   • We need to make sure that each Moran on WikiTree has the appropriate categories applied to their profile. For information on categories, see the Categorization help page and the Categorization Project.
3. Connecting:
   • We need to connect all the Unconnected Moran profiles on WikiTree. (This can count towards the Connectors Challenge if you're feeling competitive.) For information on connecting profiles, see the Connectors Project.
4. Merging:
   • We need to merge any duplicate profiles for the same person into one profile for that person. For information on merging profiles, see the Merging help page.
5. Sourcing:
   • We need to have sources for all the profiles on WikiTree. Specifically, we need at least one (and preferably more) sources added for all the Unsourced Moran profiles on WikiTree. (This can count towards the Sourcerers Challenge if you're feeling competitive.) For information on sourcing profiles, see the Sources help page and the Sourcerers Project.
6. Morans in Wikipedia:
   • We need to make sure that all deceased Morans with Wikipedia entries have profiles on WikiTree, and are sourced and connected to the main tree.

DNA

DNA is becoming a very important piece to our genealogy research toolbox. As they say, DNA doesn't lie. Currently, we're only aware of a few Moran descendants who have been tested and are available on GedMatch, including Larry Moran.

That Y-DNA line is matched as R-L21.

There are a few other Morans tested on 23andMe and Ancestry.

See other Moran profiles that are connected to DNA tests on WikiTree.

Country of Origin

Current research points to modern day Ireland being the origin of the Moran surname, though there are definitely lines that have been found in the Scotland and England area.

The yDNA Family Tree DNA test by Larry has been shown to be part of the R-L21 Y Haplogroup based on research by the Family Tree DNA R L21, Z290 and Subclades Project.

Confused by a lot of the terminology related to genetic genealogy? Hop on over to the International Society of Genetic Genealogy's Wiki (ISOGG) for tons of helpful information.

Interactive Map from Aleš Trtnik and WikiTree+

This interactive world map can be adjusted to filter for various options, and you can pan around the map and even zoom in to display the names of the individuals whose profiles are categorized as part of the WikiTree Moran Name Study.

Here is the URL to view the fully-interactive map: https://plus.wikitree.com/findmap.htm?aid=Moran_Name_Study&grouptype=C. You can use the URL to link to the map from any WikiTree profile or FreeSpace page you wish. The map content is updated automatically as new profiles are added to the Moran Name Study.

Moran Lines

Here are some Moran lines that were collected.

You can also see all profiles linked to the study by viewing the Moran Name Study category.

ID	Earliest Ancestors	Earliest Date	Earliest Location	Current/Main Location	Y-DNA	GEDMatch Genesis ID(s)	Notes
A	Robert Moran / Mary Ann Knott	1782	Ireland - Birth	Quebec; Wisconsin, United States	R-L21	KR1113504
B	Patrick Moran / Catherine Mulligan	1823	County Kildare, Ireland - Birth	Montana, United States
C	James Moran / Nancy Costello	1812	County Leitrim, Ireland - Birth	South Carolina, United States
D	Robert Moran / Unknown	1831	Ireland - Birth	Yorkshire, England » South Australia
E	Andrew Moran / Mary Barber	1725	Maryland - Birth	Ohio
F	William Moran / Eleanor Lock	1727	Maryland - Birth	North Carolina; Ohio; Georgia
G	James Moran / Catherine Devine	1861	Massachusetts - Birth	Massachusetts
H	Alexander Moran / Mary Ann Leavy	1830	Upper Canada - Birth	Ontario, Canada
J	Owen Moran / Sarah Attridge	1805	Cork, Ireland - Birth	Staffordshire, England
K	John Baptiste Moran / Salina Reandeau	1840	Lower Canada - Birth	Oklahoma

Resources

• List of Morans on Wikitree

• G2G feed of questions tagged "Moran".

• Orphaned Moran profiles on WikiTree.

• Unsourced Moran profiles on WikiTree.

• Unconnected Moran profiles on WikiTree.

• Wikipedia: Moran including a list of notable Morans with articles on Wikipedia.

1. ↑ Moran Surname History accessed 5 Feb 2024