I have not made an academic study of this but I pick up every story I hear. Of course I want to trace this family back to John Morow, Stone mason from Paris who built Melrose Abbey in the Scottish borders but Morrow is considered a variant of Murphy in some Irish Name books. In other books it comes from England but is considered now to be more common in Ulster. >From the (Oxford?) dictionary morrow noun (the morrow) archaic: or poetic/literary: the following day: on the morrow they attacked the city. the time following an event: in the morrow of great victory, will they show some equanimity? the near future: we have the religious enthusiast who takes no thought for the morrow. -ORIGIN Middle English morwe, from Old English morgen. Could the Morrows have descended from Dermott MacMorrough, King of Leinster (1152). He formed an allaince with the Normans during the invassion of Ireland. The MacMorroughs were one of the five septs that in the Pale had immunity from the Brehon code in Henry II reign. Art MacMorrough Kavanagh was dreaded (b1357 c1375 - 1417) throughout South east Ireland 1500. A son of Brian Boru was Morrough- he commanded the Dalcassians in a fight against the Norsemen. They won but lost Brian, Morrough and others. (I deduced this one myself only to find other people had earlier thought the same). Dictionary of Surnames (1994) Oxford Partrick Hankes and Flavia Hodges Irish and Scots; Anglicized form of the Gael personal name Murchadh, composed of the elements Muir sea and cadh warrior; cf McMorrough and Murphy Vars Morrough, Murrow, Murrough. (I have heard this story from several sources). I think Harrison (a well respected book from about 1890 published in England) says that Morrow is english, meaning of the Moor Row (a family living in a cottage on the street leading out to the moor). ORIGIN OF MORROW (via William Morrow, England) The following is an abstract from a letter to Mrs. Abbie C. Morrow received by her sometime between 1890 and 1895 from a party (name unreadable) residing in Morrowstown, Ireland. "The family is probably of French origin, from Moreau one of many Hugenots who left France after the revocation of the edict of Nantes in 1685 and landed in Scotland. The name Moreau got changed by common usage among English speaking people into Morrow. According to the British Heraldy Book, Morrow is the correct orthhography, but it seems of French origin. Our first projenitor after this time was James Morrow who who fought at the battle of Killicrankie July 27th, 1689, as an adherent of William III of England. His party was beaten and he was taken prisoner, finally escaping with a fellow prisoner named David Kain. They got on board a coal vessel at Lroanayrshire bound for Glenarg, County Antrim, Ireland. On landing the two refugees went into the country about 6 miles to Glenhead, where in due time they married Farmer Gilland's two daughters. The said James Morrow had seven sons: David, James, John, Robert, Thomas, Andrew, William. David retained the homestead at Glenhead. One brother went to Antrim, one brother went to County Derry, one brother went to Tyrone(?), one brother went to Armagh (?), and two went to County Down. I(the unknown writer) come from the stock of David who retained the old place, Morrowstown it is still called. The southern Morrows are likely from the Armagh branch, John having gone there>" ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- There is a Morrow's point on Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland. Chris Morrow, Edinburgh Researching William Morrow, Timulkenny, Drumcree William John Morrow, Painter, Glagow Recorded as Murphy in the 1881 Scotish Census (Illiterate with an Irish accent). William James Morrow, Painter, Belfast Thanks to Bill Morrow for the story from Abbie C. Morrow