Show ContentsMose History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Anglo-Saxon name Mose comes from when the family resided near a peat bog. The name comes from the Old English word mos, which denoted a peat bog. The name may have been taken on as a hereditary surname by someone who lived near a peat bog. However, there are also place names that have come from this word, and the surname may have come from a pre-existing name for a town, village, or parish. Other instances of this surname may also have evolved from the personal name, Moses; and there was also an Ashkenazic Jewish name of uncertain origins that has evolved into Mose. Alternatively, the name could have an ancient Norman surname derived from "Godefridus de la Mosce, Normandy, [who] held a fief from Philip Augustus of the honour or Malherbe." 1

Early Origins of the Mose family

The surname Mose was first found in Lancashire at Chat Moss, a large area of peat bog near the City of Salford, in Greater Manchester. 2

Alternatively, the name could have derived from Moss, a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster in South Yorkshire. One of the earliest records of the name was Ailmerus filius Mosse or Almer Mosse who was listed in Norfolk 1153-1168. 3

Later, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed Henry Mosse, as holding lands in Lincolnshire at that time. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Robertus de Mos and Johannes del Mosse. 4

At about the same time, further north in Scotland, Gregory de Moss was tenant of the Earl of Douglas in Louchurde, 1376. 5

Early History of the Mose family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mose research. Another 107 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1286, 1327, 1405, 1567, 1608, 1628, 1641, 1662, 1666 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Mose History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mose Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Mose has been recorded under many different variations, including Moss, Mos, Mosse and others.

Early Notables of the Mose family

Distinguished members of the family include Richard Moss. "In 1608 the capital messuage of Richard Moss, a recusant, of Skelmersdale [Lancashire], was granted on lease by the king to Edward Thurstan and Robert Webb. Richard Moss was still living in 1628 when, as a convicted recusant, he paid double to...
Another 49 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Mose Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mose Ranking

In the United States, the name Mose is the 15,113rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 6

Migration of the Mose family to Ireland

Some of the Mose family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 77 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Mose migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Mose or a variant listed above:

Mose Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • John Mose, who arrived in Massachusetts in 1640 7
  • Samuel Mose, who arrived in Maryland in 1679 7
Mose Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Hans Mose, who arrived in Carolina in 1756 7
Mose Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Johann George Mose, aged 18, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1805 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Mose (post 1700) +

  • Mose John Allison Jr. (1927-2016), American jazz blues pianist, singer and songwriter
  • Mose Ernest Tolliver (1920-2006), American folk artist
  • Mose A. Napier, American Republican politician, Candidate for West Virginia State Senate 5th District, 1984

Empress of Ireland
  • Mr. Harold N. Mose, Canadian Third Class Passenger from Montreal, Quebec, Canada who survived the sinking on the Empress of Ireland (1914) 8


The Mose Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: En la rose je fleurie
Motto Translation: I flourish in the rose.


  1. The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
  2. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  3. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  4. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  5. 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)
  6. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  7. 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)
  8. Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html


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