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Mott History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Suggested Reading Sources

Mott History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Mott

What does the name Mott mean?

The name Mott was brought to England in the wave of migration that followed the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Mott family lived in Essex. The name, however, descends from the family's place of residence prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, Mott a town in Cotes du Nord, Normandy. 1

Early Origins of the Mott family

The surname Mott was first found in Essex, where the family held a family seat from very early times, having been granted lands by Duke William of Normandy, their liege Lord, for their distinguished assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D. Moate (Irish: An Móta) is a town in County Westmeath, Ireland. In this case the town's name was derived from the term "motte-and-bailey," an early Norman fortification with a wooden or stone keep. The Norman earthwork is still visible behind the buildings on the main street.

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed a wide range of spellings throughout ancient England: Motte (without surname), Buckinghamshire; William Moth, Norfolk; Basilia Motte, Cambridgeshire; and Richard Mote, Oxfordshire. 2

"In the 13th century, Motte, sometimes written Mot, was a common Cambridgeshire name, but it also occurred then in Essex, Hunts, Kent, Bucks, and Oxfordshire." 3

However, Yorkshire proved to be a stronghold for the family for many years: "The Motts have found a home in this county for at least 600 years. In the 13th century the name of Motte occurred in Bradfield in this county. From the 14th to the 17th century there resided a notable gentle family of Mott at Shalford; some of the members lived at Braintree, in the same neighbourhood, in the 16th and 17th centuries; Sherne Hall, Shalford, was in the possession of the family in the 17th century." 3

Early History of the Mott family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mott research. Another 152 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1379, 1583, 1588, 1686, 1693, 1710 and 1738 are included under the topic Early Mott History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mott Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Mott, Motte, Mote, De Mott, De Motte, Demott and others.

Early Notables of the Mott family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Benjamin Motte, Sr. (died 1710), a London publisher

Mott Ranking

In the United States, the name Mott is the 2,112^nd most popular surname with an estimated 14,922 people with that name. 4

Mott migration to the United States +

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Mott or a variant listed above:

Mott Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John, Mott Sr., who arrived in Virginia in 1621 5
Adam Mott, aged 39, tailor from Cambridge, who arrived in New England in 1635 aboard the ship "Defence", bound for Portsmouth 5
Mrs. Sarah Mott, aged 31, who arrived in New England in 1635 aboard the ship "Defence", bound for Portsmouth 6
Jo Mott, aged 14, who arrived in New England in 1635 aboard the ship "Defence", bound for Portsmouth 6
Mr. Adam Mott, aged 12, who arrived in New England in 1635 aboard the ship "Defence", bound for Portsmouth 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Mott Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Anne Mott, who landed in Virginia in 1703 5
Peter Mott, who settled in New York in 1711

Mott Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Mott, who immigrated to Philadelphia in 1807
Louisa D Mott, who arrived in New York, NY in 1844 5
Henry Mott, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1848 5
John Mott, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 5
Capt. Mott, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Mott migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Mott Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Samuel Mott, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1760
Mrs. Abigal Mott U.E. who settled in New Brunswick c. 1784 7
Mr. John Mott U.E. who settled in New Brunswick c. 1784 7
Mr. Jonathan Mott U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784 7
Mr. Reuben Mott U.E., (Motte) born in Poughkeepsie, Dutchess County, New York, USA from New York, USA who settled in Elizabeth Town [Elizabethtown], Leeds County, Ontario c. 1784 he served in the 84th Regiment of Kings Royal Rangers of New York as well as Jessups Rangers, married to Hannah having 6 children, he died in 1839 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Mott Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Abel Mott, who landed in Canada in 1828
Oliver Mott, who landed in Canada in 1830

Mott migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Mott Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Robert Mott, (b. 1794), aged 27, English convict who was convicted in London, England for life for forgery, transported aboard the "Claudine" on 20th May 1821, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1882 8
Mr. Edward Mott, (b. 1807), aged 21, English convict who was convicted in Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Countess of Harcourt" on 29th April 1828, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1900 9
Mr. Benjamin Mott, (b. 1794), aged 46, American farmer who was convicted in Montreal, Quebec, Canada for life for unlawful invasion, transported aboard the "Brothers" on 28th September 1839, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, captured at the battle of Windmill in 1838 10
Joseph Mott, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Rajasthan" in 1840 11
Mary Mott, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Rajasthan" in 1840 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Mott migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Mott Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. C Mott, Australian settler travelling from Hobart, Tasmania, Australia aboard the ship "Bandicoot" arriving in New Zealand in 1846 12
John Mott, aged 43, a labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Douglas" in 1873
Marianne Mott, aged 42, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Douglas" in 1873
John Mott, aged 11, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Douglas" in 1873
Walter Mott, aged 8, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Douglas" in 1873
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Mott (post 1700) +

Stewart Rawlings Mott (1937-2008), American philanthropist who founded the Stewart R. Mott Charitable Trust
Lucretia Coffin Mott (1793-1880), American Quaker, abolitionist, a women's rights activist, and a social reformer
Jordan Lawrence Mott IV (1881-1931), American novelist and writer on the outdoor life
Jordan Lawrence Mott (b. 1799), American inventor and industrialist, founder of J. L. Mott Iron Works in New York in 1828
James Wheaton Mott (1883-1945), American politician, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Oregon (1933-1945)
Joe Mott (b. 1965), American NFL football linebacker who played from 1989 to 1993
James Mott (1739-1823), American politician, United States Representative from New Jersey
James Mott (1788-1868), American Quaker leader, teacher, merchant and activist for anti-slavery and women's rights
Gordon Newell Mott (1812-1887), American politician, Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives from Nevada Territory (1863-1864)
General Gershom Mott (1822-1884), United States Army officer in the Union Army, Commander in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War
... (Another 67 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Sources +

Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's Retrieved January 6th 2023, retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/claudine
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 19th April 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/countess-of-harcourt
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/buffalo
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) RAJASTHAN 1840. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1840Rajasthan.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html