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 [ 2 syll. mau-ri-ce, ma-ur-ice ] The boy name Maurice is pronounced as MaoRIYS or MAORahS KEY. 1: Maurice is used chiefly in the English and French languages, and it is derived from Latin origins. Mauricius (Latin) and Mauricus (Latin) are older forms of Maurice. The first name is derived from the Roman nickname Mauricius, a derivative of the name Maurus and the element 'maurus' (swarthy, dark skinned, moor). It was borne by Saint Maurice (-287), the leader of the legendary Roman Theban Legion who was martyred under Maximian for refusing to worship Roman gods. He was subsequently venerated as the patron saint of soldiers. The name was also borne by a 6th-century Byzantine emperor. It was introduced by the Normans into England in the form Meurisse, and was relatively popular in the Middle English era in the form Morris. It was borne in the 16th century by members of the ducal families of Saxony, notably Maurice of Nassau (1567-1625), the Prince of Orange who helped to found the Dutch Republic. The name saw a moderate increase in use in the mid-19th century. It is sometimes taken as a French name in the USA and Britain, owing to the fame of the charming Belgian-French actor and singer Maurice Chevalier (1888-1972). In the USA, the name Maurice is often pronounced like a French name with the stress on the last syllable, while in the UK the name is pronounced no differently from the form Morris. In literature, the name has been borne by the titular character of the E. M. Forster novel Maurice (1913). The name Maurizia (Italian) is the female form of Maurice. The name Maurice is widely used; it has 43 variants that are used in both English and other languages. Variants of Maurice used in English include Maurey, Mauris, Morey, Morice, Morie, Moris (used in Spanish as well), Morrice, Morris, Morrison, Morriss, Morry, Morse, and Morys. Other English forms include the short forms Maurie (used in Spanish as well), Mo, Moe, Morrie, and Moss, the pet form Maury, and the variant spelling Maurise. Foreign variants of Maurice include Maolmuire (Scottish), Mauri (Finnish), Mauricio (Portuguese and Spanish), Maurilio (Italian), Maurin (Italian), Mauritius (Dutch and German), Maurits (Dutch, Russian, and Scandinavian), Mauritz (German), Maurizio (Italian), Maurício (Portuguese), Mauro (Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese), Maurus (German), Maurycy (Polish), Mavriki (Russian), Meuric (Welsh), Meurig (Welsh), Moricz (Hungarian), Mories (Dutch), Moritz (German, Hebrew, and Hungarian), Moriz (German), Móric (Hungarian), Muirgheas (Irish), and Muiris (Irish). 2: Maurice is of Celtic origin and it is used mainly in the Irish language. Derived from muir meaning 'sea' ; gus meaning 'choice; vigor, strength'. Old forms of Maurice include Muirgheas (Old Irish) and Muirgheos (Old Irish). See also the related form, the English Merrick. Maurice is an all-time favorite. Currently it is still fairly popular as a baby name for boys, though it was in more widespread use before. At the modest peak of its usage in 1913, 0.185% of baby boys were given the name Maurice. Its ranking then was #95. The baby name has since experienced a decline in frequency, and is in recent years of only occasional use. In 2008, it ranked at #405 with a usage of 0.034%. Out of the group of boy names directly linked to Maurice, the Portuguese and Spanish Mauricio was the most frequently used. It was 14% more popular than Maurice in 2008. Baby names that sound like Maurice include the German Maurus, the English Morrice, the English Morris, the Irish and Scottish Marcas, the Hungarian Marci, the Italian and Spanish Marco, the Portuguese and Spanish Marcos, the English, French, and German Marcus, the Czech and Polish Marek, the Russian Marka, the English Markie, the Finnish Markku, the Czech, German, Slavic, and Slovenian Marko, the Greek Markos, the Romanian Marku, the Czech, Dutch, German, Hungarian, Latvian, and Scandinavian Markus, the English Marky, the Spanish Marquez, the English Marquis, and the English Marquise. Details of famous persons named Maurice: KEY: English pronunciation for Maurice: M as in "me (M.IY)" ; AO as in "ought (AO.T)" ; R as in "read (R.IY.D)" ; IY as in "eat (IY.T)" ; S as in "sea (S.IY)" ; M as in "me (M.IY)" ; AO as in "ought (AO.T)" ; R as in "read (R.IY.D)" ; AH as in "hut (HH.AH.T)" ; S as in "sea (S.IY)"   |
