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Moffett History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Moffett History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

The surname Moffett was first used in the Scottish/English Borderlands by an ancient Scottish people called the Strathclyde-Britons. It was a name for someone who 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 Moffett means, from the long field.

Early Origins of the Moffett family

The surname Moffett 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 Moffett family

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

Moffett Spelling Variations

The many spelling variations in Medieval Scottish names result from the fact that scribes in that era spelled words according to sound. Translation too, was an undeveloped science, and many names were altered into complete obscurity. Over the years Moffett 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 Moffett 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 Moffett Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Moffett Ranking

In the United States, the name Moffett is the 2,418^th most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 2

Migration of the Moffett family to Ireland

Some of the Moffett 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.

Moffett migration to the United States +

To escape the uncertainties and discrimination faced in Scotland, many decided to head out for North America. Once they arrived, many Scots fought with relish in the American War of Independence; some went north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. Many ancestors of these Scots have recovered their lost national heritage in the 20th century through Clan organizations and Scottish historical societies. Among the settlers to North America were:

Moffett Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Samuel Moffett, who settled in Virginia in 1772

Moffett Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Elizabeth Moffett, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1812 3
Martha Moffett, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1812 3
James Moffett, who arrived in New York in 1822 3
John Moffett, who landed in New York in 1822 3
Samuel Moffett, who landed in Maryland in 1832 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Moffett migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Moffett Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

William Moffett was a soldier in St. John's, Newfoundland in 1819 4

Moffett migration to Australia +

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

Moffett Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Priscilla Moffett, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Orleana" in 1840 5
Selina Moffett, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Orleana" in 1840 5

Moffett 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:

Moffett Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Thomas Moffett, British farm labourer travelling from London aboard the ship "Himalaya" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 10th February 1867 6
Mr. John Moffett, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Light Brigade" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 26th August 1868 6
Mr. Moffett, British settler travelling from London with family aboard the ship "Light Brigade" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 26th August 1868 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Moffett (post 1700) +

Charnett Moffett (1967-2022), American jazz bassist who worked with Art Blakey, Ornette Coleman, Pharoah Sanders, Dizzy Gillespie, Ellis Marsalis, Sonny Sharrock, Stanley Jordan, Wallace Roney and many more
Jim Bob Moffett (1936-2021), American petroleum geologist, co-founder of Freeport McMoRan, he died from COVID-19
David McKenzie Moffett (b. 1952), American businessman and was formerly the CEO of Freddie Mac
Anthony John "Toby" Moffett Jr. (1944-1975), American former politician, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Connecticut (1975-1983)
William Adger Moffett (1869-1933), American admiral, Medal of Honor recipient, best known as the architect of naval aviation in the United States Navy, eponym of the Moffett Federal Airfield, Sunnyvale, California and Mount Moffett, Alaska and the USS Moffett (DD-362), a Porter-class destroyer
Sharyn Moffett (b. 1936), American child actress, known for her work on Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948), The Body Snatcher (1945) and Child of Divorce (1946)
Donald Warren "D. W." Moffett (b. 1954), American Screen Actors Guild Award winning actor, known for Switched at Birth (2011), Falling Down (1993) and Traffic (2000)
Samuel Hugh Moffett (1916-2015), Korean-born, American Professor Emeritus at the Princeton Theological Seminary
Judith Moffett (b. 1942), American author, recipient of the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer in Science Fiction (1988)
Charles Moffett (1929-1997), American free jazz drummer
... (Another 29 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

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)
Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) ORLEANA 1840. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1840Orleana.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html