Motis History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Italy

Etymology of Motis

What does the name Motis mean?

The surname Motis was derived from the word Italian word motta, which is a rising up of the land or a large heap of stones, debris, and sand, like those found in areas of Southern Italy.

Early Origins of the Motis family

The surname Motis was first found in Calabria, known to many people as located at "the tip of the Italian boot." Records of the name are found in the 12th century, when Carlo di Mottola was a Baron and was Lord of Mottola, near Otranto.

Early History of the Motis family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Motis research. The year 1675 is included under the topic Early Motis History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Motis Spelling Variations

There are many variations of most of those Italian names that originated in the medieval era. Some of these come from regional differences, like the tradition of ending northern names in "o" and southern names in "i". Others come from inaccuracies in the recording process, which were extremely common in the eras before dictionaries standardized spelling. Some of the spelling variations of Motis are Motta, La Motta, Moti, Mota, Mottino, Motino and many more.

Early Notables of the Motis family

the Mottola family in Calabria, who were Lords of many feudal territories during the 16th century. With the Amato feud came the title of Marquis, granted by Carlo II in...
Another 30 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Motis Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Motis migration to the United States +

An investigation of the immigration and passenger lists has revealed a number of people bearing the name Motis:

Motis Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Motis, who arrived in Virginia in 1658 1

Motis Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Tom Motis, who arrived in Texas in 1850-1906 1

Motis Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Martin Motis, who landed in Arkansas in 1905 1

Sources +

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)