Humanities › History & Culture MOREL - Surname Meaning and Family History What Does the Last Name Morel Mean? Share Flipboard Email Print Getty / Val Thoermer History & Culture Genealogy Surnames Basics Genealogy Fun Vital Records Around the World American History African American History African History Ancient History and Culture Asian History European History Inventions Latin American History Medieval & Renaissance History Military History The 20th Century Women's History View More By Kimberly Powell Genealogy Expert Certificate in Genealogical Research, Boston University B.A., Carnegie Mellon University Kimberly Powell is a professional genealogist and the author of The Everything Guide to Online Genealogy. She teaches at the Genealogical Institute of Pittsburgh and the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy. our editorial process Kimberly Powell Updated June 05, 2017 The Morel surname is a diminutive from the Old French more, meaning dark and swarthy (as a moor). A French variant of Moor and Moore. Morel is the 21st most common surname in France. Surname Origin: French Alternate Surname Spellings: MORELL, MORILL, MORRELL, MORRILL Famous People with the MOREL Surname Guillaume Morel - French classical scholarOlivier Morel de La Durantaye - Colonial officer in New FranceGeorge W. Morell - civil engineer; Union General in U.S. Civil WarTheodor Morell - Adolph Hitler's personal physicianBénédict Morel - Austrian-French psychiatristAntoine Léon Morel-Fatio - French painter Where is the MOREL Surname Most Common? According to surname distribution from Forebears, the Morel surname is most common in France, where it ranks 22nd in the nation, followed by Monaco (68th), Dominican Republic (87th) and Paraguay (109th). The Morell spelling of the surname, on the other hand, is most prevalent in Spain, and also common in Puerto Rico (395th) and Cuba (413th). WorldNames PublicProfiler indicates a similar distribution, with the greatest percentage of individuals named Morel in Austria, followed by Switzerland, Argentina and Belgium. Within France, Morel is found in the greatest numbers in the Franche-Comté region (now Bourgogne-Franche-Comté), followed by Rhône-Alpes (now Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes), Haute-Normandie (now Normandy), Basse-Normandie (now Normandy) and Bretagne. Genealogy Resources for the Surname MOREL Meanings of Common French SurnamesUncover the meaning of your French last name with this free guide to the four types of French surnames, and the meanings and origins of common French last names. Morel Family Crest - It's Not What You ThinkContrary to what you may hear, there is no such thing as a Morel family crest or coat of arms for the Morel surname. Coats of arms are granted to individuals, not families, and may rightfully be used only by the uninterrupted male line descendants of the person to whom the coat of arms was originally granted. MOREL Family Genealogy ForumThis free message board is focused on descendants of Morel ancestors around the world. FamilySearch - MOREL GenealogyExplore over 2 million results from digitized historical records and lineage-linked family trees related to the Morel surname on this free website hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. MOREL Surname Mailing ListFree mailing list for researchers of the Morel surname and its variations includes subscription details and a searchable archives of past messages. DistantCousin.com - MOREL Genealogy & Family HistoryExplore free databases and genealogy links for the last name Morel. GeneaNet - Morel RecordsGeneaNet includes archival records, family trees, and other resources for individuals with the Morel surname, with a concentration on records and families from France and other European countries. The Morel Genealogy and Family Tree PageBrowse genealogy records and links to genealogical and historical records for individuals with the Morel surname from the website of Genealogy Today.----------------------- References: Surname Meanings & Origins Cottle, Basil. Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967. Dorward, David. Scottish Surnames. Collins Celtic (Pocket edition), 1998. Fucilla, Joseph. Our Italian Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 2003. Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989. Hanks, Patrick. Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003. Reaney, P.H. A Dictionary of English Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1997. Smith, Elsdon C. American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997. >> Back to Glossary of Surname Meanings & Origins Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Powell, Kimberly. "MOREL - Surname Meaning and Family History." ThoughtCo, Aug. 27, 2020, thoughtco.com/morel-surname-meaning-and-origin-4098392. Powell, Kimberly. (2020, August 27). MOREL - Surname Meaning and Family History. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/morel-surname-meaning-and-origin-4098392 Powell, Kimberly. "MOREL - Surname Meaning and Family History." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/morel-surname-meaning-and-origin-4098392 (accessed January 23, 2021). copy citation