Hi Ray, all I can tell you is that the Moore name is an unfortunate anglicization (since it was already so similar to the old English name of Moore) which has practically displaced the Irish Ó More version (note, NOT O'More -- with an apostrophe -- which is another anglicization). Although the Moores occur all over Ireland, they are common only in County Antrim and Dublin. I said it was unfortunate that it was so thoroughly anglicized because it is now almost impossible to tell whether a modern Irish Moore is a true-blue Irishman or, like many, is a descendant of a Protestant English family who were imported to displace the local Catholic Irish during the time of the Plantations (late 16th century). Whilst the old Ó More family obviously used the prefix, in modern times the O'Moore version is very rare, and would obviously not be used by a person of English descent. During the Potato Famine Irish emigrants to England were advised by their priests (rightly) to drop the 'O' when looking for work in view of English prejudices. Ó More comes from Ó Mórdha ('grandson of the majestic one' [grandson being used for 'descendant']); they were the leading sept of the 'Seven Septs of Leix' and centred on SW County Leix (now spelled Laois), around Abbeyleix. The English Moore is from Norman French, appearing in England soon after the Norman Conquest (1066), and comes from Latin Maurus 'swarthy like a Moor', as indeed does the forename Morris/Maurice. Regards, David