Show ContentsMoffet History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Among the all the peoples of ancient Scotland, the first to use the name Moffet were the Strathclyde-Britons. It was a name for someone who lived in the place called Moffatt, in Scotland. The place-name is derived from the Gaelic words magh and fada, which mean field and long. Hence, the surname Moffet means, from the long field.

Early Origins of the Moffet family

The surname Moffet was first found in Dumfriesshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Dhùn Phris), a Southern area, bordering on England that today forms part of the Dumfries and Galloway Council Area, at Annandale where the first on record was Nicholas de Mufet who began his life as a simple cleric and was first recorded as witness to a charter by Walter, bishop of Glasgow, some time before 1232. Approximately twenty years later, in 1250, he was made Archdeacon of Theuidale and eventually, in 1268, he was made Bishop of Glasgow. After only two years of holding the position of bishop, he died, in the year 1270. [1]

Early History of the Moffet family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Moffet research. Another 110 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1348, 1467, 1553, 1604, 1795, 1815, 1870, 1883 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Moffet History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Moffet Spelling Variations

The variation in the spelling of Medieval names is a result of the lack of spelling rules in the English language prior to the last few hundred years. Before that time, scribes spelled according to sound, often varying the spelling of name within a single document. Moffet has appeared as Moffatt, Maffat, Maffett, Maffet, Moffat, Moffet, Moffett, Moffert, Moffertt, Moffit, Moffitt, Merphet, Merphett, Merfet, Merfett, Murphat, Murphatt, Murphet, Murphett, Muffat, Muffatt, Muffett, Muffet, Muffit and many more.

Early Notables of the Moffet family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

  • Thomas Muffet (also Moufet, Mouffet, or Moffet) (1553-1604), an English naturalist and physician, best known for his Puritan beliefs, his study of insects in regard to medicine

Moffet Ranking

In the United States, the name Moffet is the 14,539th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [2]

Ireland Migration of the Moffet family to Ireland

Some of the Moffet family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 70 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Moffet migration to the United States +

As the persecution of Clan families continued, they sailed for North America in increasing numbers. In most cases, they found the freedom and opportunity they sought. Land was often available and the American War of Independence allowed Scots an opportunity to solidify their independence from the English crown. These settlers and their ancestors went on to play essential roles in the forging of the nations of the United States and Canada. Among them:

Moffet Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Jean Moffet, who arrived in Perth Amboy, NJ in 1685 [3]
Moffet Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Peter Moffet, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1808 [3]
  • Samuel Moffet, aged 38, who landed in Tennessee in 1812 [3]
  • Thomas Moffet, aged 28, who arrived in Tennessee in 1812 [3]
  • Andrew Moffet, aged 18, who landed in South Carolina in 1812 [3]
  • William Moffet, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1832 [3]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Moffet migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Moffet Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. William Moffet, (b. 1833), aged 23, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Sir Edward Paget" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 2nd July 1856 [4]
  • Mr. Gavin Moffet, (b. 1837), aged 19, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Sir Edward Paget" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 2nd July 1856 [4]
  • Miss Margaret Moffet, British domestic servant travelling from London aboard the ship "Himalaya" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 10th February 1867 [5]
  • Miss Eliza Moffet, (b. 1850), aged 18, British domestic servant travelling from London aboard the ship "Gainsborough" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 2nd May 1868 [5]

Contemporary Notables of the name Moffet (post 1700) +

  • Jane Moffet (1930-2018), American All-American Girls Professional Baseball League utility player who played from 1949 through 1952
  • Joseph William Moffet (1859-1935), American Major League Baseball player for the Toledo Blue Stockings in 1184, brother of Sam Moffet
  • Samuel R. "Sam" Moffet (1857-1907), American Major League Baseball outfielder and pitcher who played from 1884 to 1888 for the Cleveland Blues and Indianapolis Hoosiers
  • John Clifford Moffet (b. 1964), American six-time gold medalist competition swimmer
  • John Moffet (1831-1884), Irish-born, American politician, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania in 1869
  • John Moffet (1831-1884), American Democratic Party politician, U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania 3rd District, 1869 [6]
  • David Moffet, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1916 [6]
  • Alicia Moffet, Canadian singer who won the 2013 season of The Next Star


Suggested Readings for the name Moffet +

  • A Moffat Family Record by Abbott Low Moffat.
  • The Moffit Family by Lorraine Moffat.

  1. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  4. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  5. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  6. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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