Morfatt History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

The ancient Scottish name Morfatt was first used by the Strathclyde-Briton people of the Scottish/English Borderlands. The original bearer of the name 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 Morfatt means, from the long field.

Early Origins of the Morfatt family

The surname Morfatt 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 Morfatt family

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

Morfatt Spelling Variations

Spelling and translation were hardly exact sciences in Medieval Scotland. Sound, rather than any set of rules, was the basis for spellings, so one name was often spelled different ways even within a single document. Spelling variations are thus an extremely common occurrence in Medieval Scottish names. Morfatt 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 Morfatt 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 Morfatt Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Morfatt family to Ireland

Some of the Morfatt 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.

Migration of the Morfatt family

Such hard times forced many to leave their homeland in search of opportunity across the Atlantic. Many of these families settled along the east coast of North America in communities that would become the backbones of the young nations of the United States and Canada. The ancestors of many of these families have rediscovered their roots in the 20th century through the establishment of Clan societies and other patriotic Scottish organizations. Among them: Jean Moffat who settled in New Jersey in 1685; Thomas Moffatt settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1712; William Moffert settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1880.