Maurice is a traditionally masculine

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a f ...

, also used as a surname. It originates as a French name derived from the Latin

Mauritius Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Ag ...

or Mauricius and was subsequently used in other languages. Its popularity is due to

, a saint of the

Theban Legion The Theban Legion (also known as the Martyrs of Agaunum) figures in Christianity, Christian hagiography as a Roman legion from Roman Egypt, Egypt —"six thousand six hundred and sixty-six men" — consisting of Christian soldiers who were marty ...

(died 287). ''Mauritius'' is otherwise attested as a given name of the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...

period, in origin meaning "one from

Mauretania Mauretania (; ) is the Latin name for a region in the ancient Maghreb. It extended from central present-day Algeria to the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, encompassing northern present-day Morocco, and from the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean in the ...

", i.e. "the Moor". Forms in other languages include: Latvian Māris, Spanish Mauricio, Portuguese Maurício, Italian Maurizio, Dutch Maurits, Greek Μαυρίκιος (Mavrikios), Russian Маврикий (Mavrikiy), German Moritz, Czech Mořic, English Morris. In the form Morris, it is also used as a secularized version of the Jewish name Moishe.

Given name

Late Antiquity to Middle Ages

Saint Maurice Maurice (also Moritz, Morris, Maurits, or Mauritius; ) was an Egyptians, Egyptian military leader who headed the legendary Theban Legion of Roman Empire, Rome in the 3rd century, and is one of the favourite and most widely venerated saints of tha ...

also Moritz, Morris, or Mauritius (died 287), Roman legionnaire and Christian martyr *

Maurice (emperor) Maurice (; ; 539 – 27 November 602) was Eastern Roman emperor from 582 to 602 and the last member of the Justinian dynasty. A successful general, Maurice was chosen as heir and son-in-law by his predecessor Tiberius II. Maurice's reign was ...

or Flavius Mauricius Tiberius Augustus (539–602), Byzantine emperor *

Maurice (bishop of London) Maurice (died 1107) was the third Lord Chancellor and Lord Keeper of England, as well as Bishop of London. Life Maurice was Archdeacon An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in the Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Ort ...

(died 1107), bishop of London, Lord Chancellor and Lord Keeper of England * Maurice of Carnoet (1117–1191), French abbot and saint * Maurice, Count of Oldenburg (fl. 1169–1211), count of Oldenburg * Mauritius (Dean of Armagh) (fl. 13th century), Irish cleric, Dean of Armagh 1238 *

Maurice of Inchaffray Maurice ( or ''Muireadhach'') was a 14th-century Scottish cleric who became Prior of Inchmahome, Abbot of Inchaffray and then Bishop of Dunblane. He was Prior (ecclesiastical), Prior of Inchmahome Priory in Menteith after 1297. He became abbot o ...

(14th century), Scottish bishop *

Maurice Spata Muriki or Maurice Shpata ({{langx, sq, Muriq Shpata; {{floruit, 1399–1414) was the ruler of Arta from late 1399/early 1400 until his death in 1414 or 1415. Muriq’s reign was dominated by his wars with Carlo I Tocco. Muriq was able to defend h ...

(14th to early 15th century), Albanian ruler of Arta from 1399 to 1414/15

Early Modern

Maurice, Elector of Saxony Maurice (21 March 1521 – 9 July 1553) was Duke (1541–47) and later Elector (1547–53) of Saxony. His clever manipulation of alliances and disputes gained the Albertine branch of the Wettin dynasty extensive lands and the electoral dignit ...

(1521–1553), German Saxon nobleman *

Maurice, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg Maurice of Saxe-Lauenburg (1551 – 2 November 1612, Buxtehude) was the fourth son of Francis I of Saxe-Lauenburg and Sybille of Saxe-Freiberg ( Freiberg, *2 May 1515 – 18 July 1592*, Buxtehude), daughter of Duke Henry IV ''the Piou ...

(1551–1612), duke of Saxe-Lauenburg *

Maurice, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel Maurice of Hesse-Kassel (; 25 May 1572 – 15 March 1632), also called Maurice the Learned or Moritz, was the Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel) in the Holy Roman Empire from 1592 to 1627. Life Maurice was born in Kassel as the son o ...

or Maurice the Learned (1572–1632), Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel *

Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange Maurice of Orange (; 14 November 1567 – 23 April 1625) was ''stadtholder'' of all the provinces of the Dutch Republic except for Lordship of Frisia, Friesland from 1585 at the earliest until his death on 23 April 1625. Before he became P ...

(1567–1625), stadtholder of the Netherlands *

Maurice of Savoy Maurice of Savoy (10 January 15933 October 1657, Turin) was an Italian nobleman, politician and cardinal. He was the fourth son of Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy and Infanta Catalina Micaela of Spain. Life Born in Turin, Maurice was the f ...

(1593–1657), prince of Savoy and a cardinal *

Maurice, Duke of Saxe-Zeitz Maurice of Saxe-Zeitz (28 March 1619 – 4 December 1681) was a duke of Saxe-Zeitz and member of the House of Wettin. Born in Dresden, he was the youngest surviving son of John George I, Elector of Saxony, and his second wife Magdalene Sibylle ...

(1619–1681), duke of Saxe-Zeitz *

Maurice of the Palatinate Maurice, Prince Palatine of the Rhine KG (16 January 1621 – 1 September 1652) was the fourth son of Frederick V, Elector Palatine and Princess Elizabeth, daughter of King James VI and I and Anne of Denmark. Life Maurice was present with h ...

(1620–1652), Count Palatine of the Rhine *

William Maurice, Prince of Nassau-Siegen Prince William Maurice of Nassau-Siegen (18/28 January 1649 – 23 January 1691Julian calendar, Jul.), , official titles: ''Fürst zu Nassau, Graf zu Katzenelnbogen, Vianden, Diez, Limburg und Bronkhorst, Herr zu Beilstein, Stirum ...

(1649–1691), prince of Nassau-Siegen

Modern

* Maurice of Battenberg (1891–1914), prince of the Battenberg family and member of the British Royal Family * Maurice of the Netherlands (1843–1850), prince of Orange-Nassau * Maurice Anderson (born 1975), American football player * Maurice Bailey (died 2018), formerly missing person lost at sea * Maurice Baker (born 1979), American basketball player and coach * Maurice Banks (born 1983), American football coach * Maurice De Bevere (1923–2001), Belgian cartoonist * Maurice Binder (1918–1991), American film title designer *

Maurice Blanchot Maurice Blanchot ( ; ; 22 September 1907 – 20 February 2003) was a French writer, philosopher and literary theorist. His work, exploring a philosophy of death alongside poetic theories of meaning and sense, bore significant influence on pos ...

(1907–2003), French writer, philosopher, and literary theorist *

Maurice Bowra Sir Cecil Maurice Bowra, (; 8 April 1898 – 4 July 1971) was an English classical scholar, literary critic and academic, known for his wit. He was Warden of Wadham College, Oxford, from 1938 to 1970, and served as vice-chancellor of the Univer ...

(1898–1971), English classical scholar and academic * Maurice de Bus (1907–1963), French sculptor * Maurice Riemer Calhoun, Sr., known as Riemer Calhoun (1909–1994), American politician *

Maurice Chevalier Maurice Auguste Chevalier (; 12 September 1888 – 1 January 1972) was a French singer, actor, and entertainer. He is best known for his signature songs, including " Livin' In The Sunlight", " Valentine", " Louise", " Mimi", and " Thank Heaven f ...

, (1888–1972), French actor, singer and entertainer * Maurice Cowling (1926–2005), British historian * Maurice Cox (born 1972), American basketball player * Maurice Crum (disambiguation), multiple people * Maurice Deligne (1861–1939), French politician *

Maurice Duplessis Maurice Le Noblet Duplessis, (; April 20, 1890 – September 7, 1959) byname "Le Chef" (, "The Boss"), was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 16th premier of Quebec. A Conservatism in Canada, conservative, Quebec nationalism, ...

(1890–1959), 16th Premier of Quebec, Canada * Maurice Duval (1869–1958), French general and aviator * Maurice Evans (disambiguation), multiple people * Maurice Fadel (1928–2009), Lebanese businessman and politician * Maurice Failevic (1933–2016), French film director * Maurice Ffrench (born 1998), American football player * Maurice Elwood Frump, known as Babe Frump (1901–1979), American football player * Maurice Gambier d'Hurigny (1912–2000), French sculptor *

Maurice Gamelin Maurice Gustave Gamelin (; 20 September 1872 – 18 April 1958) was a French general. He is remembered for his disastrous command (until 17 May 1940) of the French military during the Battle of France in World War II and his steadfast defence of ...

(1872–1958), French general remembered for his unsuccessful command of the French military in 1940 during the Battle of France * Maurice Garin (1871–1957), French road bicycle racer *

Maurice Gibb Maurice Ernest Gibb (; 22 December 1949 – 12 January 2003) was a British musician and songwriter. He achieved global fame as a member of the Bee Gees pop group. Although his elder brother Barry Gibb and fraternal twin brother Robin Gibb wer ...

(1949–2003), British singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer * Maurice Grau (1849–1907), Austrian-born American impresario * Maurice Greene (athlete), American sprinter * Maurice Grevisse (1895–1980), Belgian grammarian * Maurice A. Hartnett III (1927–2009), American jurist who served as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Delaware * Maurice Heaton (1900–1990), Swiss-born American glass artist * Maurice Healy (campaigner) (1933–2020), British consumer campaigner * Maurice Howard, British art historian * Maurice Hurst Jr. (born 1995), American football player * Maurice Anthony Jayaweera, Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army 1969-1974 * Maurice Jenks (1872-1946), 604th

Lord Mayor Lord mayor is a title of a mayor of what is usually a major city in a Commonwealth realm, with special recognition bestowed by the sovereign. However, the title or an equivalent is present in other countries, including forms such as "high mayor". A ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

* Maurice Kemp (born 1991), American basketball player in the

Israeli Basketball Premier League Ligat HaAl (, lit., ''Supreme League or Premier League''), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is a professional basketball league in Israel and the highest level of basketball in the country. The league's name is abbreviated as either BSL ...

Maurice LaMarche Maurice LaMarche (born March 30, 1958) is a Canadian voice actor. Across a career spanning more than four decades he has voiced Chief Quimby on Inspector Gadget, Egon Spengler on ''The Real Ghostbusters'', The Brain on ''Animaniacs'' and its spi ...

, Canadian actor *

Maurice Leblanc Maurice Marie Émile Leblanc (; ; 11 December 1864 – 6 November 1941) was a French novelist and writer of short stories, known primarily as the creator of the fictional gentleman thief and detective Arsène Lupin, often described as a French ...

(1864–1941), French novelist and writer * Maurice Leyland (1900–1967), English cricketer * Maurice Line (1928–2010), British library and information scientist *

Maurice Meisner Maurice Jerome Meisner (November 17, 1931 – January 23, 2012) was an American sinologist and professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He studied the Chinese Communist Revolution and the People's Republic and held a strong interest i ...

(1931–2012), historian of 20th century China * Maurice de Mel, Sri Lankan Sinhala army colonel *

Maurice Merleau-Ponty Maurice Jean Jacques Merleau-Ponty. ( ; ; 14 March 1908 – 3 May 1961) was a French phenomenological philosopher, strongly influenced by Edmund Husserl and Martin Heidegger. The constitution of meaning in human experience was his main interes ...

(1908–1961), French phenomenological philosopher * Maurice Joseph Micklewhite, birth name of

Michael Caine Sir Michael Caine (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite, 14 March 1933) is a retired English actor. Known for his distinct Cockney accent, he has appeared in more than 160 films over Michael Caine filmography, a career that spanned eight decades an ...

, English actor * Maurice Ndour (born 1992), Senegalese basketball player for Hapoel Jerusalem of the

* Maurice O'Neill (Irish republican) (d. 1942), executed Irish Republican * Maurice Pelletier (1896–1971), Canadian politician * Maurice Pluskota (born 1992), German basketball player *

Maurice Ravel Joseph Maurice Ravel (7 March 1875 – 28 December 1937) was a French composer, pianist and conductor. He is often associated with Impressionism in music, Impressionism along with his elder contemporary Claude Debussy, although both composer ...

(1875–1937), French Impressionist music composer and pianist *

Maurice Richard Joseph Henri Maurice "Rocket" Richard ( , ; August 4, 1921 – May 27, 2000) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Montreal Canadiens. He was the first player in NHL his ...

(1921–2000), Canadian ice hockey player *

Maurice Rioli Maurice Joseph Rioli Sr. (1 September 1957 – 25 December 2010) was an Australian rules footballer who represented St Mary's Football Club in the Northern Territory Football League (NTFL), in the West Australian Football League (WAFL) and ...

(1957–2010), Australian football player * Maurice Roëves (1937–2020), English actor * Maurice Rozenthal (born 1975), French ice hockey player * Maurice Ruah (born 1971), Venezuelan tennis player *

Maurice Sendak Maurice Bernard Sendak (; June 10, 1928 – May 8, 2012) was an American author and illustrator of children's books. Born to Polish-Jewish parents, his childhood was impacted by the death of many of his family members during the Holocaust. Send ...

(1928–2012), American known for ''Where the Wild Things Are'' *

Maurice K. Smith Maurice Keith Smith (September 1926, Hamilton, New Zealand - December 2020, Harvard, Massachusetts) was a New Zealand-born architect and architectural educator. Smith's work and teaching builds upon the idea of creating "habitable three-dimension ...

(1926–2020), New Zealand-born American architect *

Maurice Salvador Sreshta Maurice Salvador Sreshta (22September 18726July 1952) served as the Postmaster General of Sri Lanka, Postmaster General of Ceylon from 1923 to 1928. Maurice Salvador Sreshta was born on 22 September 1872 in Coimbatore, British India, India, th ...

(1872–1952), Postmaster General of Sri Lanka from 1923 to 1928 * Maurice Stuckey (born 1990), German basketball player * Maurice Schwartz (1889–1960), Russian-born actor * Maurice Tornay (1910–1949), Swiss Catholic missionary * Maurice Tulloch (born 1969), British/Canadian businessman *

Maurice Utrillo Maurice Utrillo (; born Maurice Valadon; 26 December 1883 – 5 November 1955) was a French painter of the School of Paris who specialized in cityscapes. From the Montmartre quarter of Paris, France, Utrillo is one of the few famous painters of ...

(1883–1955), French painter *

Maurice Vellacott Maurice Vellacott (born September 29, 1955) is a former Canadians, Canadian politician from Saskatchewan. He served in the House of Commons of Canada from 1997 to 2015 as the Member of Parliament (Canada), member of Parliament (MP) for the Elec ...

(born 1955), Canadian politician * Maurice Vinot (1888–1916), French film actor * Maurice de Vlaminck (1876–1958), French painter, one of the principals in the Fauve movement * Maurice Watson (born 1993), American basketball player for Maccabi Rishon LeZion of the

Maurice Wilkins Maurice Hugh Frederick Wilkins (15 December 1916 – 5 October 2004) was a New Zealand-born British biophysicist and Nobel laureate whose research spanned multiple areas of physics and biophysics, contributing to the scientific understanding ...

(1916–2004), New Zealand-born English physicist and molecular biologist, and Nobel Laureate

Fictional characters

*Maurice, a character from the 1991 and 2017 films based on

Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve (28 November 1685 – 29 December 1755) was a French author influenced by Madame d'Aulnoy, Charles Perrault, and various précieuse writers. Villeneuve is particularly noted for her original story of ''L ...

's ''

Beauty and the Beast "Beauty and the Beast" is a fairy tale written by the French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in (''The Young American and Marine Tales''). Villeneuve's lengthy version was abridged, rewritten, and publish ...

''. *Maurice, Samantha Steven's father in '' Bewitched''. *Maurice, a monster character in the 1989 film '' Little Monsters'' * Maurice Lalonde (''Highlander'' character), character in the television program ''Highlander: The Series'' * Maurice Levy (''The Wire''), character in the television program ''The Wire'' * Maurice Moss, character from the British sitcom ''The IT Crowd'' * Rap Master Maurice, a character portrayed by artist Derek Erdman * Sonic Maurice Hedgehog, real name of Sonic the Hedgehog in the Archie Comics * Maurice Hall, protagonist in the book ''Maurice'' by E.M. Forster * Maurice Conchis from the novel 'The Magus' by

John Fowles John Robert Fowles (; 31 March 1926 – 5 November 2005) was an English novelist, critically positioned between modernism and postmodernism. His work was influenced by Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus, among others. After leaving Oxford Uni ...

* Maurice a character from the novel 'Undersea Reincarnation' by calcroissant * Maurice, a virtuous orangutan who acts as adviser to the noble chimpanzee leader

Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war. He ...

on ''

Rise of the Planet of the Apes ''Rise of the Planet of the Apes'' is a 2011 American science fiction action film directed by Rupert Wyatt from a screenplay by Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver. It is a reboot of the ''Planet of the Apes'' film series and is the seventh install ...

'', '' Dawn of the Planet of the Apes'', and '' War of the Planet of the Apes''.

Surname

Ann Maurice Ann Maurice (born November 11, 1951) is an American interior designer and house stager perhaps best known in the UK as Channel 5's " House Doctor". She also hosted two series of ''Ann Maurice: Interior Rivalry'' for the same channel in 2006 and ...

(born 1951), American interior designer and house stager, called "The House Doctor" * Arthur Bartlett Maurice (1873–1946), American editor of the Woodbridge (NJ) ''Register'' * Benoît Maurice (born 1971), French football central defender *

Charles G. Maurice Dr. Charles G. Maurice (1911–1997) was an American dentist and academic. In a teaching career that spanned 37 years at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry, he began in the old Department of Applied Materia Medica and Thera ...

(1911–1997), American teacher of dentistry and pioneer of endodontics *

Clément Maurice : Clément Maurice (March 22, 1853 – July 15, 1933) was a French photographer, film director, and producer. Career First employed in the Lumière factories, where he entered in 1894, he became a portrait photographer in Paris, where he sett ...

(1853–1933), French photographer * David Maurice (1626–1702), Welsh priest and translator *

David M. Maurice David Myer Maurice (3 April 1922 in London – 20 July 2002 in Manhattan) was a British ophthalmologist, noted for his contributions to the development of the specular microscope used for examination of the cornea. Biography Maurice was educated a ...

(1922–2002), British ophthalmologist * Emil Maurice (1897–1972), German watchmaker and senior Nazi Party official *

Florian Maurice Florian Alphonse Maurice (born 20 January 1974) is a French football executive and former professional footballer who played as a striker. He most notably won the 1998 Coupe de France and Coupe de la Ligue with French team Paris Saint-Germain. H ...

(born 1974), French footballer * Frederick Barton Maurice (1871–1951), British general, military correspondent, writer and academic *

Frederick Denison Maurice John Frederick Denison Maurice (29 August 1805 – 1 April 1872), commonly known as F. D. Maurice, was an English Anglican priest and theologian. He was a prolific author and one of the founders of Christian socialism. Since the Second World War ...

(1805–1872), British author, theologian, and socialist * Henry Maurice (minister) (1634–1682), Welsh priest who became an Independent minister * Henry Maurice (theologian) (c. 1647 – 1691), Welsh clergyman and professor * Henry Gascoyne Maurice (1847–1950), English zoologist * Hugh Maurice (1775–1825), transcriber of Welsh manuscripts * James Maurice (1814–1884), American politician from New York * James Wilkes Maurice (1775–1857), United Kingdom Royal Navy officer * Jean-Eudes Maurice (born 1986), French-born Haitian footballer * John D. Maurice, American writer and Pulitzer Prize winner *

John Frederick Maurice Major-general (United Kingdom), Major-General Sir John Frederick Maurice (24 May 1841 – 12 January 1912) was a senior British Army Officer (armed forces), officer, chiefly remembered for his military writings. Family and early life Maurice wa ...

(1841–1912), English soldier and military writer * María Belén Pérez Maurice (born 1985), Argentine fencer * Mary Maurice (1844–1918), American actress *

Mathias Maurice Mathias Maurice (1684 – 1 September 1738) was a Welsh minister and writer. Career He initially joined Henllan Amgoed chapel before going to William Evans (divine), William Evans in Carmarthen to become a minister. In 1713, Mathias was briefly ...

(1684–1738), Welsh minister and writer * Monica Maurice (1908–1995) industrialist, first, and for 40 years the only, woman member of the Association of Mining Electrical Engineers, known as "the Lady of the Lamp". * Paul Maurice (born 1967), Canadian hockey player and coach *

Paule Maurice Paule Charlotte Marie Jeanne Maurice (29 September 1910 – 18 August 1967) was a French composer. Life and career Maurice was born in Paris to Raoul Auguste Alexandre Maurice and Marguerite Jeanne Lebrun. Registration lists at the Conservato ...

(1910–1967), French composer * Peter Maurice (priest) (1803–1878), Welsh priest and writer * Peter Maurice (bishop) (born 1951), English cleric – bishop of Taunton * Richard Maurice (1893– fl. 1951), Cuban-American filmmaker and labor organizer * Thomas Maurice (fl. 1755–1824), English poet oriental scholar, historian, chaplain and vicar * William Maurice (politician) (1552–1622), Welsh politician (an anglicization of his patronymic, ap Morys) * William Maurice (antiquary) (1620–1680), Welsh antiquary and collector of manuscripts

Notes

{{given name, type=both English masculine given names Masculine given names French masculine given names English-language masculine given names Lists of people by given name Surnames from given names