Contents [hide]

Moffit History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Moffit History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

The Strathclyde-Briton people of ancient Scotland were the first to use the name Moffit. The Moffit family 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 Moffit means, from the long field.

Early Origins of the Moffit family

The surname Moffit 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 Moffit family

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

Moffit Spelling Variations

Medieval Scottish names are rife with spelling variations. This is due to the fact that scribes in that era spelled according to the sound of words, rather than any set of rules. Moffit has been spelled 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 Moffit 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 Moffit Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Moffit Ranking

In the United States, the name Moffit is the 14,817^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2

Migration of the Moffit family to Ireland

Some of the Moffit 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.

Moffit migration to the United States +

Many Scots were left with few options other than to leave their homeland for the colonies across the Atlantic. Some of these families fought to defend their newfound freedom in the American War of Independence. Others went north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. The ancestors of all of these families have recently been able to rediscover their roots through Clan societies and other Scottish organizations. Among them:

Moffit Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Margaret Moffit, who landed in New York, NY in 1811 3
William Moffit, who landed in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1812 3
Francis Moffit, who arrived in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1834 3
James Moffit, who landed in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1846 3
Robert Moffit, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1853 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Moffit migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Moffit Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. William Moffit U.E. who settled in Shefford Township, Eastern Townships [La Haute-Yamaska Regional County Municipality], Quebec c. 1784 4

Moffit 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:

Moffit Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. William Moffit, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "John Scott" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 7th March 1858 5
George Moffit, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Zealandia" in 1861
Michael Moffit, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Zealandia" in 1861

Contemporary Notables of the name Moffit (post 1700) +

James K. Moffit, American politician, Democrat Presidential Elector for California in 1944
Claudius Moffit, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Rensselaer County in 1841
William C. "Bill" Moffit (1926-2008), American musician, music arranger and marching band director, best known for his hundreds of arrangements for marching bands
James K. Moffit, American Democratic Party politician, Presidential Elector for California, 1944 6
Claudius Moffit, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Rensselaer County, 1841 6
George Moffit Patrick, American politician, Delegate to Texas Consultation of 1835 from District of Liberty, 1835 7

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)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 14) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html