The Surname 'Morne'

[Gobbiner]

Has anyone an opinion about the origin of the surname Morne and if it is a name native to Ireland as it has been suggested to me that the name is a derivative of Moran could this be the case?
Any helpful information about the surname will be appreciated.

[Sinann]

Try it here
https://www.johngrenham.com/surnames/
Doesn't look like it's an Irish name.

[Gobbiner]

The name is in the Irish surname list you have posted.

[Ruskie]

According to the Surname Profiler it is "unclassified" however the highest concentrations of the surname appear around Yorkshire:
http://gbnames.publicprofiler.org/

These sorts of sites just show distribution of that surname in the 1881 census rather than where the surname originated if known. It appears to be the same with the site Sinann linked to which seem to be showing only two families with that surname (if I am reading it correctly). That does not mean that it is or was an "irish" surname.

As you will see on the Surname Profiler there is a similar surname, Morney, which may or may not have similar pronunciation as Morne. The distribution of that surname is different from Morne.

Sometimes a family surname can change intentionally or unintentionally (eg spellings change over time /people are illiterate and don't realise what has been written on official forms etc) and the surname can differ slightly though the name was originally the same. You see this sort of thing with obvious easy to understand differences such as Clark/Clarke.

[heywood]

Irish Genealogy shows a few Mornes both civil and church records- some may be duplicated.
Ancestry uk shows a few Irish born Mornes in England and some born England.

Some Mornes on those sites might be transcribed wrongly, misheard or misspelt.

Looking at the  context and history of your family, what have you found?

[Sinann]

It's not in the Surname Dictionary on Irish Ancestors, try an obvious Irish surname like Kelly or similar and you will see the Surname Dictionary at the bottom of the page. 

[shanreagh]

31 entries on Irish Genealogy including a McMorne (1847) in civil records & 40 in Church records with an entry in 1768. 
https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/en/

That length of time, if you were from the 1768 entry, the people would surely be Irish? Could easily be a mishearing/mistranscription of Moran which has over 15,000  church record entries.   

I would track my ancestor with Morne & townland until they ran out and then parallel search for Moran or Morrin and variations.

[oldohiohome]

I have heard Doran pronounced Dor'n, so I imagine Moran could be pronounced Mor'n. Which could get it spelled as Morne.

[shanreagh]

I have heard Doran pronounced Dor'n, so I imagine Moran could be pronounced Mor'n. Which could get it spelled as Morne.

Agree with this. Much depends on what is heard and transcribed.  Often the transcribers had never heard an Irish accent before and just related the sounds and spelling to something familiar.  We also have the 'Mountains of Mourne'. Diff spelling and pronunciation though I am sure someone would write it as Morne or Morn.  Mor'n Dor'n. Always a possibility.

I have a simple view on Irish surnames. If the person came from Ireland,  the name is an Irish surname.  The surname may have originated in some other place and we can find this other place sometimes just like we can find the Huguenot origins of some English surnames. Or it may have been in Ireland going way back.