Moran (surname)

Moran
Family name
Meaning	"no"
Region of origin	Ireland
Related names	Ó Móráin

Moran (Irish: Ó Móráin) is a modern Irish surname and derived from membership of a medieval dynastic sept. The name means a descendent of Mórán. Morans were a respected sept of the Uí Fiachrach dynasty in the western counties of Mayo and Sligo. In Ireland, where the name descended from the Gaelic, it is generally pronounced (phonetically) MOR-ən (/ˈmɒrən/) anglicised approximate of the Irish pronunciation.

Elsewhere, pronunciation follows the French surname, Morant, anglicised to (phonetically) mə-RAN (/məˈræn/) or mo-RAN (/mɒˈræn/). There are many different crests of Moran, many bearing three stars and the motto Lucent in tenebris, Latin for "They shine in darkness". Another crest, attributed to the family of a Moran family living in Ballina, County Mayo, is described thus: "Azure on a mount proper, two lions combatant or, holding between them a flagstaff also proper, therefrom a flag argent; a crest: out of amural crown, a demi-saracen, head in profile, all proper; and a motto: 'Fides non timet.'" (This motto translates as "Faith does not fear" or "The Faithful Fear Not".)

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