Moffatt
A Scottish surname taken from the place name Moffat in Dumfriesshire.
The #7,339 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 67,976 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Moffatt is a locational surname, originally used for someone from Moffat in Dumfriesshire, Scotland. The place name is usually explained from Gaelic elements meaning something like 'the long plain' or 'the broad plain,' though the exact form is debated in older scholarship. The surname appears in medieval records in several spellings, including Moffat and Moffett.
History
The name is strongly associated with southwest Scotland and later spread into England and beyond. Older surname dictionaries consistently treat Moffatt as a place-derived Scottish surname, and historical records show it in use by the 13th century or later. Later spellings such as Moffett and Moffit reflect ordinary variation in record-keeping and pronunciation.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The town of Moffat gave its name not only to the surname but also to a well-known Scottish spa town later famous for its mineral waters.
From the historical record
“Piers Plowman, X. 212. MOFFAT \ (Celt.) Bel. to Moffat (S.Scot.), MOFFATT 13th cent. Moffete [its situation is MOFFETT [-said to rnake probable the MOFFIT I etymology of Gael, magh, a plain MOFFITT ; + fada, long] MOGFORD = Mugford, q.v. MOGG \ I for Magg: v. Maggs. MOGGE J 2 for Mogue, q.v. MOGGRIDGE MOGRIDGE”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)