Skip to main content

Updated June 9, 2019

Boy name origins & meanings

  • French : Still water

Boy name variations

How Popular Is The Name Mortimer

Family name origins & meanings

  • English, Welsh, Scottish, and Irish (of Norman origin) : habitational name from Mortemer in Seine-Maritime, France, so called from Old French mort(e) ‘dead’ + mer ‘sea’ (Latin mare). The place name probably referred to a stagnant pond or partly drained swamp; there may also have been an allusion to the Biblical Dead Sea seen by crusaders. The Norman surname was taken to Ireland from England in the medieval period, where it has also been adopted by bearers of the Gaelic surnames Mac Muircheartaigh and ÓMuircheartaigh, commonly Anglicized as McMurty and Mortagh. Compare McMurdo.

Join the Family

Your partner in parenting from baby name inspiration to college planning.

Subscribe