Maffitt History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

The first people to use the name Maffitt were a family of Strathclyde-Britons who lived in the Scottish/English Borderlands. The name comes from when someone 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 Maffitt means, from the long field.

Early Origins of the Maffitt family

The surname Maffitt 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 Maffitt family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Maffitt 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 Maffitt History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Maffitt Spelling Variations

Surnames that evolved in Scotland in the Middle Ages often appear under many spelling variations. These are due to the practice of spelling according to sound in the era before dictionaries had standardized the English language. Maffitt 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 Maffitt 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; and Robert Moffat (1795-1883). Starting off as a gardener, he decided to become a missionary...
Another 49 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Maffitt Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Maffitt family to Ireland

Some of the Maffitt 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.

Maffitt migration to the United States +

The North American colonies beckoned, with their ample land and opportunity as their freedom from the persecution suffered by so many Clan families back home. Many Scots even fought against England in the American War of Independence to gain this freedom. Recently, clan societies have allowed the ancestors of these brave Scottish settlers to rediscover their familial roots. Among them:

Maffitt Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Peter Maffitt, aged 32, who landed in Missouri in 1845 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Maffitt (post 1700) +

John Newland Maffitt (1819-1886), nicknamed the "Prince of Privateers," an American officer in the Confederate States Navy, best known as a blockade runner and commerce raider in the U.S. Civil War.; he was born aboard a ship bound for America
John Newland Maffitt Sr. (1795-1850), Irish-born, American Methodist clergyman and itinerant preacher; he emigrated from Ireland to America in 1819, father of John Newland Maffitt
William Maffitt Bates, American Republican politician, Member of Missouri State Senate 32nd District, 1927-34

Citations +

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)
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)