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Moffitt History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Moffitt History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

The ancient Scottish name Moffitt 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 Moffitt means, from the long field.

Early Origins of the Moffitt family

The surname Moffitt 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 Moffitt family

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

Moffitt 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. Moffitt 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 Moffitt 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 Moffitt Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Moffitt Ranking

In the United States, the name Moffitt is the 3,206^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 2

Migration of the Moffitt family to Ireland

Some of the Moffitt 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.

Moffitt migration to the United States +

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:

Moffitt Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Thomas Moffitt, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1808 3
William Moffitt, who landed in Maryland in 1809 3
Robert Moffitt, who settled in Philadelphia in 1811
Julia Moffitt, aged 25, who landed in New York in 1817 3
Alexander Moffitt, who arrived in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1820 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Moffitt migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Moffitt Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Nancy Moffitt, aged 35, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Billow" in 1833
Robert Moffitt, aged 3, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Billow" in 1833
Margaret Moffitt, aged 2, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Billow" in 1833
John Moffitt, aged 6 months, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Billow" in 1833

Moffitt migration to Australia +

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

Moffitt Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Robert Moffitt who was convicted in Middlesex, England for life, transported aboard the "Bussorah Merchant" on 24th March 1828, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4

Moffitt 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:

Moffitt Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Ellen Moffitt, aged 39, a cook, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Oxford" in 1874
Mary Moffitt, aged 30, a servant, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Oxford" in 1874

Contemporary Notables of the name Moffitt (post 1700) +

John Moffitt (b. 1986), American NFL football offensive guard for the Seattle Seahawks
John Moffitt (b. 1980), American silver medalist long jumper at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Tom Moffitt (1884-1945), American track and field athlete who competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics
John Moffitt, American Emmy Award winning television director
Randall "Randy" James Moffitt (b. 1948), retired American Major League Baseball pitcher
Jefferson Moffitt (1887-1954), American screenwriter and film director
Billie Jean Moffitt (b. 1943), birth name of American tennis player, Billie Jean King
Delmont Theodore Moffitt (1911-2001), American Republican politician, Member of Iowa State House of Representatives, 1961, 1972 5
David C. Moffitt, American politician, Mayor of Decatur, Illinois, 1893-94 5
Caleb G. Moffitt, American Republican politician, Mayor of Rockland, Maine, 1876-78 5
... (Another 14 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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bussorah-merchant
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html