The village derives its name from either from 'Moriya', which describes a Mauryan settlement (the 'mor' (transl. peacock) was an important symbol of the Maurya empire) or from 'Moim'.

 The river of Mapusa flows along its southern, western and northern sides, making its soil very fertile. The village is famous for many things, among others for its banana plantations, which yield big, long bananas, called munnouchinz kellim in Konkani, and each fruit is equal to a square meal. Each grows to the length of nearly a foot with a diameter of about two and a half to three inches...

But the bananas are not Moira's chief claim to fame among Goan villages. The people are as famous, if not more than their kellim [bananas], so famous indeed that they have passed into simile and proverb and legend. They are among the most industrious people of Goa. Blessed as they are with fertile land, they have used Nature's gift to raise many crops - rice, chillies, vegetables, bananas. Every Friday will see them wending their way with their produce on their head to the weekly fair at Mapusa. But it is not their industriousness that signals them out for unique honour among their Goan fellows. It is for a legacy that they have inherited from their forefathers - a wisdom that is traditional.