Moffat Surname

14,536th
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 38,356 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
Malawi
Highest density in:
Scotland

Moffat Surname Definition:

This surname is derived from a geographical locality. 'of Moffatt,' a parish partly in Lanarkshire, and partly in Dumfriesshire.

Moffat Surname Distribution Map

PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Malawi11,7111:1,462143
Scotland4,7461:1,128185
United States4,4971:80,6009,166
England3,9801:14,0002,063
Canada3,4651:10,6341,602
Nigeria2,0121:88,0436,148
Australia2,0081:13,4441,931
Zimbabwe1,7711:8,7171,050
South Africa1,0151:53,3776,775
New Zealand9571:4,732765
Ghana4851:55,7135,980
Botswana4191:5,219811
Kenya2071:223,09115,759
Tanzania1371:386,43527,768
Wales1361:22,7542,421
Saint Lucia1091:1,640300
Ireland821:57,4263,925
Northern Ireland721:25,6262,839
Singapore511:107,9944,447
France431:1,544,714145,815
Solomon Islands391:14,8732,820
Iran351:2,193,78675,524
Isle of Man351:2,452488
Malaysia281:1,053,36546,873
Germany211:3,833,593163,016
Jamaica211:136,6644,886
Zambia181:880,55128,935
Guyana181:42,3464,061
Chile181:978,69319,774
Sweden131:757,44356,422
Cyprus131:68,0677,075
Qatar121:196,50026,891
United Arab Emirates121:763,52325,625
Jersey121:8,2671,718
Argentina101:4,274,341152,056
Brazil101:21,407,433350,627
Bermuda101:6,5281,005
Mexico91:13,791,80145,470
Austria91:946,15970,786
Switzerland81:1,026,61463,315
Finland71:785,24338,644
Spain71:6,678,86292,666
Trinidad and Tobago61:227,32910,175
Norway61:857,04855,549
Thailand51:14,127,669603,945
China51:273,464,31313,838
Italy51:12,231,338126,430
Saudi Arabia41:7,713,95437,548
Japan41:31,961,07353,820
Denmark41:1,411,17960,800
Bahrain41:337,1526,054
Namibia41:602,35012,421
Lesotho31:677,51919,546
Czechia31:3,544,490144,714
United States Virgin Islands31:36,7924,502
Philippines31:33,746,074302,898
Greece21:5,539,895129,142
Belgium21:5,748,322130,559
Turkey21:38,910,711171,901
Indonesia21:66,124,597756,638
Hong Kong11:7,335,48316,643
Vanuatu11:263,2762,086
Ukraine11:45,522,696503,646
Angola11:26,989,21411,853
Panama11:3,912,25817,195
Liberia11:4,408,53547,110
Falkland Islands11:3,132317
Latvia11:2,050,04660,295
Malta11:430,2723,380
Nepal11:28,480,95622,413
Netherlands11:16,887,176156,465
Egypt11:91,935,754132,737
Oman11:3,687,97114,390
Taiwan11:23,444,74693,622
Peru11:31,784,12364,452
Portugal11:10,418,24125,048
Fiji11:894,3914,568
Russia11:144,123,056881,408
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines11:112,6591,704
Swaziland11:1,298,1991,718
Israel11:8,557,634182,558
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Ireland1771:25,0272,709
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Scotland4,0841:917157
England1,3961:17,4612,531
Wales151:104,5614,503
Jersey11:51,8823,898
Isle of Man11:54,2692,077
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States1,0511:47,7825,469

Moffat (36,374) may also be a first name.

Moffat Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

This surname is derived from a geographical locality. 'of Moffatt,' a parish partly in Lanarkshire, and partly in Dumfriesshire.

A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (1896) by Charles Wareing Endell Bardsley

Moffatt, Moffett, Meffatt, Meffet. Of local origin from the town of Moffat in Annandale, Dumfriesshire. Nicholas de Mufet, a cleric, witnessed a charter by Walter, bishop of Glasgow, before 1232 (LSC., p. 55), and c. 1250-51 he appears as archdeacon of Theuidale (Kelso, 148,149). In 1268 he was elected bishop of Glasgow, but died unconsecrated in 1270 (Dowden, 305). Robert de Muffet and Thomas Moffet, both of Dumfriesshire, rendered homage in 1296, and Robert was also one of an inquest on the lands of John de Hirdmanstone in 1303 (Bain, II, p. 198,206, 431). Walter de Moffat was archdeacon of Lothian in 1348 (SCM., V, p. 246), and Robert de Moffethe was treasurer of the church of Glasgow in 1467 (REG., 391). In 1587 the Moffettis of the West Marche were included among the unruly Border clans (APS., III, p. 467). Robert Moffat (1795—1883), missionary in Rechuanaland, was father-in-law of Dr. David Livingstone. Maffit and Moflit 1686, Moffot 1520, Muffett 1583, Mwffett 1593.

The Surnames of Scotland (1946) by George Fraser Black (1866-1948)

(Celtic) belonging to Moffat (S.Scot.), 13th cent. Moffete [its situation is said to make probable the etymology of Gaelic magh, a plain + fada, long]

Surnames of the United Kingdom (1912) by Henry Harrison

A Scottish toponymic numerous in Ulster since early seventeenth century

A Guide to Irish Names (1964) by Edward MacLysaght

Local: from the town of Moffat in Dumfriesshire. The family dates back to the time of Sir William Wallace.

The Origin and Signification of Scottish Surnames (1862) by Clifford Stanley Sims (1839-1896)

The Moffats or Moffatts, who are best represented on the Scottish side of the border, derive their name from a parish on the borders of Dumfriesshire and Lanarkshire.

Homes of Family Names in Great Britain (1890) by Henry Brougham Guppy

Moffat Last Name Facts

Where Does The Last Name Moffat Come From? nationality or country of origin

Moffat (Arabic: موفات, Russian: Моффат) occurs in Malawi more than any other country/territory. It may also appear as:. For other possible spellings of this last name click here.

How Common Is The Last Name Moffat? popularity and diffusion

The last name is the 14,536th most commonly used surname worldwide. It is borne by around 1 in 189,998 people. The last name Moffat occurs predominantly in Africa, where 46 percent of Moffat are found; 39 percent are found in Southern Africa and 39 percent are found in South Bantu Africa. It is also the 23,997th most frequently held first name world-wide, borne by 36,374 people.

It is most frequently held in Malawi, where it is carried by 11,711 people, or 1 in 1,462. Besides Malawi this surname exists in 80 countries. It is also found in Scotland, where 12 percent live and The United States, where 12 percent live.

Moffat Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The prevalency of Moffat has changed over time. In Scotland the number of people carrying the Moffat last name grew 116 percent between 1881 and 2014; in The United States it grew 428 percent between 1880 and 2014; in England it grew 285 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Wales it grew 907 percent between 1881 and 2014 and in Ireland it decreased 54 percent between 1901 and 2014.

Moffat Last Name Statistics demography

The religious devotion of those carrying the Moffat last name is predominantly Catholic (36%) in Ireland.

In The United States those holding the Moffat last name are 12.59% more likely to be registered with the Republican Party than The US average, with 59.36% being registered to vote for the political party.

The amount Moffat earn in different countries varies somewhat. In South Africa they earn 9.13% more than the national average, earning R 259,344 per year; in United States they earn 16.66% more than the national average, earning $50,337 USD per year and in Canada they earn 9.41% more than the national average, earning $54,358 CAD per year.

Phonetically Similar Names

SurnameSimilarityWorldwide IncidencePrevalency
Moffatt9220,705/
Moffath928/
Moffats925/
Moffate924/
Moffait923/
Mouffat922/
Mofffat921/
Moffa914,463/
Mofat91470/
Moffatte8640/
Moffaitt861/
Moffathe860/
Mofate8364/
Mofatt8339/
Maffat8338/
Moffah8323/
Moffot8315/
Mouffa8314/
Moufat835/
Moifat834/
Mohfat832/
Moffad831/
Moffay831/
Mofath831/
Mofhat831/
Mofa802,063/
Moffatová802/
Moffeit77127/
Maffait7781/
Moffoot7759/
Maffatt775/
Mofathe774/
Moshfat773/
Moffott772/
Moffash772/
Meffatt771/
Mowfatt771/
Moffout771/
Maffate771/
Mofffot771/
Moffo732,621/
Maffa731,956/
'Mofa73101/
Mafat7376/
Moufa7369/
Moifa7346/
Mefat7337/
Mofah7329/
Mofaz7313/
Mofas736/
Mofad734/
Mofot734/
Mofea734/
Mowfa732/
Mmofa732/
Mofau732/
Mofoa732/
Mofaj731/
Mosfa731/
Motfa731/
Moofa731/
Modfa731/
Mauffait7153/
Moffeytt712/
Mahaffat711/
Mouffaid711/
Moffeitt711/
Maffhate710/
Mafate67579/
Mophat67384/
Mosfai67220/
Mofuoa67116/
Moiffo6769/
Mafait6750/
Maffai6741/
Maffea6731/
Mofeae6724/
Maffay6720/
Mouffo6719/
Mafaut6716/
Moffei6715/
Mahfat6714/
Mehfat6713/
Mofaiz6711/
Mefath6710/
Moffeu679/
Moufad678/
Mofioa676/
Motfai675/
Mofote675/
Mofyoa675/
Maffah674/
Moffou674/
Mohfot674/
Moifas673/
Moyfas673/
Mafath673/
Moffey672/
Mofoot672/
Mofooa672/
Mmofoa672/
Moufas672/
Masfat671/
Maffot671/
Mofaij671/
Mofash671/
Maffoa671/
Mefhat671/
Moufaz671/
Mgoufa671/
Maafat671/
Maffaz671/
Maffìa671/
Moutfa671/
Mofout671/
Moffoh671/
Mofaah671/
Moffoi671/
Mowfai671/
Maaffa671/
Moifha671/
Moifoa671/
Mmofga671/
Moifah671/
Maufat670/

Moffat Name Transliterations

TransliterationICU LatinPercentage of Incidence
Moffat in the Russian language
Моффатmoffat-
Moffat in the Arabic language
موفاتmwfat-

Search for Another Surname

Moffat Reference & Research

Clan Moffat DNA Website - A web page dedicated to the genetic research of those who bear the surname and its variants.

Moffat - Rutherford FamilyTree DNA Group - A group collating DNA test results for those who bear the surname, includes results of DNA tests and discussions.

Clan Moffat FamilyTree DNA Project - A description of a group researching the paternal lines of men who bear the surname with the help of DNA analysis.

Moffat - Rutherford FamilyTree DNA Project - A description of a group researching the paternal lines of men who bear the surname with the help of DNA analysis.

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Footnotes

  • Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
  • Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
  • Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
  • Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
  • Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
  • Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
  • Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to Moffat
  • To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on Family​Search, My​Heritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis