Moffatt Surname

25,995th
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 20,705 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
United States
Highest density in:
Falkland Islands

Moffatt Surname Definition:

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

Moffatt Surname Distribution Map

By incidenceBy frequencyBy rank
Incidence (high to low)Incidence (low to high)Alphabetic A-ZAlphabetic Z-ARank (high to low)Rank (low to high)
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States6,5361:55,4566,616
Canada4,1191:8,9451,336
England3,6791:15,1452,235
Australia2,5791:10,4681,553
Ghana1,3161:20,5322,529
New Zealand3651:12,4062,162
Northern Ireland3631:5,083962
South Africa2881:188,11720,469
Ireland2811:16,7581,837
Jamaica2481:11,5721,197
Scotland2211:24,2252,668
Nigeria1311:1,352,23553,045
Wales1181:26,2252,724
Guyana851:8,9671,413
Isle of Man581:1,480257
Thailand431:1,642,752213,663
France431:1,544,714145,815
Argentina291:1,473,91182,038
Guernsey291:2,222539
Brazil191:11,267,070228,483
Germany171:4,735,615183,652
Panama151:260,8176,584
Papua New Guinea91:905,96994,851
Spain81:5,844,00486,878
United Arab Emirates81:1,145,28440,289
Austria81:1,064,42975,134
Sweden71:1,406,680102,017
Switzerland61:1,368,81977,571
Gibraltar61:5,659991
Falkland Islands61:522125
Northern Mariana Islands61:9,097939
Portugal41:2,604,56016,079
Malaysia41:7,373,556230,001
Dominican Republic41:2,608,23320,941
Poland21:19,004,374199,659
Philippines21:50,619,112341,003
China21:683,660,78330,601
Kenya21:23,089,95083,168
Trinidad and Tobago21:681,98817,017
Mexico21:62,063,10283,384
Luxembourg21:290,2718,611
Italy21:30,578,344160,757
Tanzania11:52,941,613123,716
Bahrain11:1,348,60810,432
Pakistan11:178,643,885213,220
Uzbekistan11:30,929,14267,786
Zambia11:15,849,92253,989
Zimbabwe11:15,438,240133,260
Syria11:19,301,02222,457
Burundi11:9,804,8522,349
Sudan11:37,510,19514,259
Bulgaria11:6,978,90586,260
Jersey11:99,2026,620
Colombia11:47,774,07244,230
Belize11:355,4743,977
Belgium11:11,496,644167,539
Greece11:11,079,790145,225
Honduras11:8,816,4429,272
Hong Kong11:7,335,48316,643
India11:767,065,3821,851,717
Indonesia11:132,249,194811,426
Chile11:17,616,47493,597
Japan11:127,844,29373,547
South Korea11:51,240,2568,015
Kazakhstan11:17,682,496204,010
Kuwait11:3,800,69427,187
Netherlands11:16,887,176156,465
Barbados11:287,4482,772
Brunei11:418,7313,893
Norway11:5,142,286129,201
Saudi Arabia11:30,855,81763,028
Chad11:13,592,19913,092
Singapore11:5,507,70347,049
Show All Nations
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Ireland4921:9,0041,333
Incidence (high to low)Incidence (low to high)Alphabetic A-ZAlphabetic Z-ARank (high to low)Rank (low to high)
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
England1,6741:14,5612,170
Scotland2141:17,4921,853
Isle of Man171:3,192355
Wales161:98,0264,293
Guernsey41:8,1641,328
Jersey11:51,8823,898
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States1,3261:37,8724,487

Moffatt (129) may also be a first name.

Moffatt 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

This surname is derived from a geographical locality. 'of Moffatt,' a town on the borders of Lanarkshire and Dumfriesshire. Muffitt or Muffet seems to have been an old corruption.

1569. Married — John Buxton and Joane Muffet: St. Thomas the Apostle (London).

1598. — John Hake and Brigett Muffet: ibid.

1651. — Thomas Wallis and Susanna Mufett: St. Dionis Backchurch (London).

1663. — William Moffett and Mary Borne: ibid.

Only one letter differs in these last two entries.

— 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

(Scottish) One who came from Moffatt (long plain), in Dumfriesshire.

— Dictionary of American Family Names (1956) by Elsdon Coles Smith

A parish partly in Lanarkshire and partly in Dumfriesshire.

— Patronymica Britannica (1860) by Mark Antony Lower

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)

Local. Derived from the town of Moffat, in Dumfriesshire, Scotland.

— An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names (1857) by William Arthur

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
DNA test information
Display Statistics on:

Moffatt Demographics

Moffatt Religious Adherence
in Ireland

Sample size: 492 (1901)

Religious Adherence
in Ireland

View the most religious surnames in Ireland

Moffatt Last Name Facts

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

The last name Moffatt is found most in The United States. It may also appear as:. For other potential spellings of this last name click here.

How Common Is The Last Name Moffatt? popularity and diffusion

The surname Moffatt is the 25,995th most frequently occurring family name on earth. It is borne by around 1 in 351,970 people. It is primarily found in The Americas, where 53 percent of Moffatt reside; 51 percent reside in North America and 50 percent reside in Anglo-North America. It is also the 818,356th most commonly held first name world-wide, borne by 129 people.

The surname Moffatt is most commonly occurring in The United States, where it is borne by 6,536 people, or 1 in 55,456. In The United States it is mostly concentrated in: California, where 11 percent are found, Florida, where 6 percent are found and Texas, where 6 percent are found. Apart from The United States this last name is found in 72 countries. It also occurs in Canada, where 20 percent are found and England, where 18 percent are found.

Moffatt Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The frequency of Moffatt has changed through the years. In The United States the number of people who held the Moffatt surname grew 493 percent between 1880 and 2014; in England it grew 220 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Ireland it declined 43 percent between 1901 and 2014; in Scotland it grew 103 percent between 1881 and 2014 and in Wales it grew 738 percent between 1881 and 2014.

Moffatt Last Name Statistics demography

The religious devotion of those bearing the last name is chiefly Presbyterian (36%) in Ireland.

In The United States Moffatt are 14.8% more likely to be registered with the Republican Party than the national average, with 61.57% being registered to vote for the political party.

The amount Moffatt earn in different countries varies greatly. In South Africa they earn 103.38% more than the national average, earning R 483,312 per year; in United States they earn 7.49% more than the national average, earning $46,380 USD per year and in Canada they earn 3.95% more than the national average, earning $51,646 CAD per year.

Phonetically Similar Names

Incidence (high to low)Incidence (low to high)Alphabetic A-ZAlphabetic Z-ASimilarity (high to low)Similarity (low to high)Prevalent jurisdiction A-ZPrevalent jurisdiction Z-A
SurnameSimilarityWorldwide IncidencePrevalency
Moffatte9340/
Moffaitt931/
Moffat9238,356/
Mofatt9239/
Moffath868/
Maffatt865/
Moffats865/
Moffate864/
Moffait863/
Mouffat862/
Moffott862/
Meffatt861/
Mowfatt861/
Mofffat861/
Moffa834,463/
Mofat83470/
Moffeytt802/
Moffeitt801/
Moffathe800/
Mofate7764/
Maffat7738/
Moffah7723/
Moffot7715/
Mouffa7714/
Moufat775/
Moifat774/
Mohfat772/
Mofhat771/
Moffad771/
Moffay771/
Mofath771/
Moffatová752/
Mofa732,063/
Moffeit71127/
Maffait7181/
Moffoot7159/
Mofathe714/
Moshfat713/
Maffott713/
Moffash712/
Maffate711/
Moffout711/
Mofffot711/
Moffo672,621/
Maffa671,956/
'Mofa67101/
Mafat6776/
Moufa6769/
Mauffait6753/
Moifa6746/
Mefat6737/
Mofah6729/
Mofaz6713/
Mofas676/
Mofea674/
Mofot674/
Mofad674/
Mofoa672/
Mofau672/
Mowfa672/
Mmofa672/
Mahaffat671/
Mofaj671/
Mouffaid671/
Mosfa671/
Motfa671/
Moofa671/
Modfa671/
Maffhate670/
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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 Moffatt
  • 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