Show ContentsMoles History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Moles family

The surname Moles was first found in Roxburghshire, where they held a family seat as a Clan and conjecturally descended from Eustace the Sheriff of Huntingdon who held his lands of Molesworth in Huntingdon from Countess Judith a relative of Duke William of Normandy at the taking of the Domesday Book survey in 1086 A.D. A branch of this distinguished family moved north in 1124 in the train of King David of Scotland (Earl David of Huntingdon) and were granted lands in the upper half of Morebattle in Roxburghshire.

Early History of the Moles family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Moles research. Another 184 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1152, 1490, 1566, 1575, 1590, 1596, 1603 and 1624 are included under the topic Early Moles History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Moles Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Molle, Moll, Mow, Mowe and others.

Early Notables of the Moles family

More information is included under the topic Early Moles Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Moles Ranking

In the United States, the name Moles is the 13,974th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Moles is ranked the 8,166th most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 2

Ireland Migration of the Moles family to Ireland

Some of the Moles family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 31 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Moles migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Moles Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • David Moles, who settled in Pennsylvania in 1790
Moles Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Francis Moles, who landed in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1832 3
  • William Moles, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1855 3

Australia Moles migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Moles Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Joseph Moles, (b. 1819), aged 21, British Waterman who was convicted in London, England for 14 years for theft, transported aboard the "Asia" on 25th April 1840, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 4

New Zealand Moles 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:

Moles Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. James Blackwood Moles, (b. 1837), aged 25, Irish farm labourer, born in County Down, Ireland travelling from London aboard the ship "Queen of Mersey" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, Southland, South Island, New Zealand on 20th October 1862 5

West Indies Moles migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 6
Moles Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • George Moles, who settled in Barbados in 1671

Contemporary Notables of the name Moles (post 1700) +

  • Virginia Moles, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for West Virginia State House of Delegates 38th District, 2012 7
  • Sheila Moles, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Michigan Democratic State Central Committee, 1977 7
  • George H. Moles, American politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Connecticut 2nd District, 1920 7
  • Charles P. Moles, American Republican politician, Mayor of Central Falls, Rhode Island, 1895 7
  • Abraham Moles (1920-1992), French engineer of electrical engineering and acoustics, and a doctor of physics and philosophy
  • Andrew James Moles (b. 1961), former English first-class cricketer for Warwickshire and Griqualand West; he played from 1986 to 1997
  • Thomas Moles (1871-1937), Ulster Unionist politician, Member of Parliament for Belfast Ormeau (1918-1922), Member of Parliament for Belfast South (1922-1929)
  • James R. Moles (b. 1885), English professional footballer who made 33 appearances from 1909 to 1911
  • Brodie Moles (b. 1985), Australian rules football player


The Moles Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Post funera foenus
Motto Translation: An interest after death.


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  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. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th January 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1840
  5. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  7. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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