Mota History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Italy
Portugal

The surname Mota was derived from the word Italian word motta, which is a rising up of the land or a large heap of stones, debris, and sand, like those found in areas of Southern Italy.

Early Origins of the Mota family

The surname Mota was first found in Calabria, known to many people as located at "the tip of the Italian boot." Records of the name are found in the 12th century, when Carlo di Mottola was a Baron and was Lord of Mottola, near Otranto.

Early History of the Mota family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mota research. The year 1675 is included under the topic Early Mota History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mota Spelling Variations

Surnames that originated in Italy are characterized by an enormous number of spelling variations. Some of these are derived from regional traditions and dialects. Northern names, for instance, often end in "o", while southern names tend to end in "i". Other variations come from the fact the medieval scribes tended to spell according to the sound of words, rather than any particular set of rules. The recorded variations of Mota include Motta, La Motta, Moti, Mota, Mottino, Motino and many more.

Early Notables of the Mota family

Prominent among bearers of this surname in early times was the Mottola family in Calabria, who were Lords of many feudal territories during the 16th century. With the Amato feud...
Another 30 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Mota Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mota Ranking

In the United States, the name Mota is the 4,896^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Mota is ranked the 6,465^th most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 2

Mota migration to the United States +

Investigation of immigration and passenger lists has revealed a number of people bearing the name Mota:

Mota Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Pedro DeLa Mota, who landed in Venezuela in 1834 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Mota (post 1700) +

Aaron Padilla Mota (b. 1977), Mexican footballer
Carlos Mota Pinto (1936-1985), Portuguese politician

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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)