Maurice
Maurice was the 1020th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 220 babies. Its best year was 1914, when it ranked 94th; the most babies were born in 1921 (1,743). Over the last ten years it has moved down 403 places. More babies were named Maurice in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning Moorish, dark-skinned · Latin, French
Say it mor-EES /mɔɹˈis/
- Rank in 2025
- #1,020 boys, down 176 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 220boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19211,743 babies
- Total since 1880
- 138,943babies recorded
What does the name Maurice mean?
Maurice comes from Late Latin Mauricius (Mauritius), from Maurus 'a Moor, North African', as DMNES and Wiktionary note. Saint Maurice, a 3rd-century Roman soldier-martyr from Egypt, made it popular. DMNES notes the medieval English vernacular form Moris, the source of the surname Morris. It was common in the US around 1900-1920.
Maurus (Latin, “a Moor, North African”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Morris, Mauricio, Moritz.
See also: Latin names.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Maurice', DMNES (Durham University)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Maurice', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
Nicknames for Maurice
The usual nicknames for Maurice are Mo and Morrie.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mo · also for Muhammad, Moses, Mohamed | Traditional | — | — |
| Morrie | Traditional | — | — |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Maurices go by each one.
Maurice popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 2,611 since 1898.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,020 | 220 |
| 2020 | #844 | 271 |
| 2010 | #448 | 600 |
| 2000 | #345 | 795 |
| 1990 | #206 | 1,488 |
| 1980 | #162 | 1,556 |
| 1970 | #165 | 1,740 |
| 1960 | #212 | 1,321 |
| 1950 | #185 | 1,197 |
| 1940 | #161 | 1,030 |
| 1930 | #116 | 1,550 |
| 1920 | #102 | 1,708 |
| 1910 | #110 | 283 |
| 1900 | #119 | 193 |
| 1890 | #140 | 102 |
| 1880 | #146 | 93 |
How popular is Maurice, counting every spelling?
Maurice is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #781 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #1,020 for Maurice on its own. Together these spellings went to 312 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maurice | 220 | #1,020 | 1,205 |
| Morris | 92 | #1,762 | 461 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Maurice?
220 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Maurice (0.06 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Maurice born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 38 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Maurice.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Maurice?
About 77,300 people born in the US named Maurice are alive today, with a median age of 47; half are between 34 and 62. That makes Maurice mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Maurice by state
How common Maurice was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Michigan (2.1×), Indiana (1.8×), Georgia (1.8×), Ohio (1.7×), Pennsylvania (1.6×). In 24 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Maurice: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Maurice, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Maurice · Sibling names for Maurice
Questions about the name Maurice
What does Maurice mean?
Maurice means “Moorish, dark-skinned” (Latin, French origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Maurice?
Maurice was the 1020th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 220 babies. Its best year was 1914, when it ranked 94th; the most babies were born in 1921 (1,743). Over the last ten years it has moved down 403 places. More babies were named Maurice in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Maurice a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Maurice in the US.
Where is Maurice most popular?
In 2021–2025, Maurice was most common in Mississippi (0.32 per 1,000 boys), followed by Michigan and Indiana.