NameCensus.

UK surname

Moffat

A Scottish locational surname derived from the lands of Moffat in Dumfriesshire, likely meaning "long plain" in Gaelic.

In the 1881 census there were 5,506 people recorded with the Moffat surname, ranking it #807 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 7,009, ranked #961, down from #807 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Inveresk, Govan Combination and Edinburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Northumberland, Earlston Stow and Clovernfords Area and Gretna.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Moffat is 7,105 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 27.3%.

1881 census count

5,506

Ranked #807

Modern count

7,009

2016, ranked #961

Peak year

2010

7,105 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Moffat had 5,506 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #807 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 7,009 in 2016, ranked #961.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 6,484 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Moffat surname distribution map

The map shows where the Moffat surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Moffat surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Moffat over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 4,000 #712
1861 historical 4,077 #684
1881 historical 5,506 #807
1891 historical 5,974 #786
1901 historical 6,484 #857
1911 historical 2,032 #2,454
1997 modern 6,545 #993
1998 modern 6,703 #1,009
1999 modern 6,778 #1,007
2000 modern 6,868 #985
2001 modern 6,666 #988
2002 modern 6,818 #991
2003 modern 6,649 #995
2004 modern 6,654 #994
2005 modern 6,705 #978
2006 modern 6,662 #984
2007 modern 6,719 #982
2008 modern 6,765 #980
2009 modern 6,948 #973
2010 modern 7,105 #974
2011 modern 6,967 #979
2012 modern 6,805 #979
2013 modern 6,940 #982
2014 modern 7,014 #976
2015 modern 6,985 #975
2016 modern 7,009 #961

Geography

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Where Moffats are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Inveresk, Govan Combination, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Newbattle. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Northumberland, Earlston Stow and Clovernfords Area, Gretna, Pathhead and Rural East Midlothian and Annandale East. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Inveresk Edinburgh
2 Govan Combination Lanark
3 Edinburgh Edinburgh
4 Glasgow Lanark
5 Newbattle Edinburgh

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Northumberland 003 Northumberland
2 Earlston Stow and Clovernfords Area Scottish Borders
3 Gretna Dumfries and Galloway
4 Pathhead and Rural East Midlothian Midlothian
5 Annandale East Dumfries and Galloway

Forenames

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First names often paired with Moffat

These lists show first names that appear often with the Moffat surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Moffat

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Moffat, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Moffat surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Moffat household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Moffat is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Moffat is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Moffat falls in decile 3 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

3
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Moffat is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Moffat, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Moffat

The surname Moffat is of Scottish origin, originating from the small town of Moffat in Dumfriesshire, Scotland. The name is believed to have derived from the Gaelic words 'magh' meaning 'a plain or field' and 'fada' meaning 'long', referring to the long stretch of level ground on which the town was built.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Moffat can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which list people who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The entry 'William de Moffet' suggests the surname's connection to the town of Moffat.

In the 16th century, the Moffat family played a significant role in the Scottish Reformation. John Moffat (c.1510-1590) was a prominent Scottish reformer and minister who served as a chaplain to King James VI of Scotland.

Robert Moffat (1795-1883) was a famous Scottish missionary and translator who spent many years in South Africa, translating the Bible into the Setswana language and establishing mission stations among the Tswana people.

Another notable bearer of the surname was James Moffat (1869-1918), a Scottish theologian and biblical scholar who served as the minister of the United Free Church of Scotland and wrote extensively on the Old Testament.

In the literary world, James Archibald Moffat (1902-1987) was a renowned Scottish poet and playwright, known for his works such as "The Walls of Jericho" and "The Road to Spain".

The surname Moffat has also been associated with several place names in Scotland, such as Moffat Water, a river that runs through the town of Moffat, and Moffat Hills, a range of hills situated near the town.

Throughout history, the surname Moffat has been found in various spellings, including Moffet, Moffett, and Muffet, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Moffat families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Moffat surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Lanarkshire leads with 1,327 Moffats recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.75x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 1,327 7.75x
Midlothian 836 11.79x
Dumfriesshire 399 34.13x
Northumberland 311 3.95x
Cumberland 301 6.61x
Lancashire 187 0.30x
Renfrewshire 168 4.10x
Durham 159 1.01x
Roxburghshire 138 14.40x
Ayrshire 134 3.38x
Kirkcudbrightshire 134 17.49x
Stirlingshire 124 6.35x
Berwickshire 102 15.92x
Angus 99 2.02x
Yorkshire 80 0.15x
Middlesex 77 0.15x
Selkirkshire 75 15.66x
Shetland 75 13.88x
Cheshire 61 0.52x
Argyllshire 56 3.80x
Peeblesshire 52 20.89x
Fife 50 1.60x
East Lothian 49 6.99x
West Lothian 43 5.40x
Wigtownshire 37 5.27x
Westmorland 31 2.67x
Dunbartonshire 30 2.11x
Perthshire 27 1.14x
Surrey 24 0.09x
Suffolk 21 0.33x
Inverness-shire 18 1.14x
Warwickshire 18 0.13x
Kent 17 0.09x
Aberdeenshire 16 0.33x
Caithness 16 2.21x
Cornwall 14 0.23x
Ross-shire 11 0.76x
Derbyshire 10 0.12x
Essex 10 0.10x
Glamorgan 9 0.10x
Hampshire 9 0.08x
Staffordshire 9 0.05x
Buteshire 8 2.49x
Hertfordshire 6 0.16x
Shropshire 6 0.13x
Sussex 6 0.07x
Flintshire 5 0.35x
Lincolnshire 5 0.06x
Sutherland 4 0.98x
Oxfordshire 3 0.09x
Somerset 3 0.04x
Banffshire 2 0.18x
Cambridgeshire 2 0.06x
Nottinghamshire 2 0.03x
Royal Navy 2 0.32x
Worcestershire 2 0.03x
Channel Islands 1 0.06x
Isle of Man 1 0.10x
Leicestershire 1 0.02x
Montgomeryshire 1 0.08x
Wiltshire 1 0.02x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Barony in Lanarkshire leads with 289 Moffats recorded in 1881 and an index of 6.67x.

Place Total Index
Barony 289 6.67x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 225 7.89x
Govan 204 4.82x
Glasgow 185 6.09x
Inveresk 95 49.49x
South Leith 85 10.65x
Old Monkland 82 12.07x
Crawford 75 234.82x
Newbattle 70 115.53x
Cambusnethan 66 17.36x
Carluke 56 36.03x
Dalkeith 52 37.18x
Lasswade 51 31.46x
Falkirk 50 10.94x
Carnwath 49 46.30x
Dalserf 48 28.10x
Moffat 45 84.35x
Dundee 40 2.19x
Lochmaben 39 76.13x
Cornhill 37 311.71x
Paisley Middle Church 37 15.50x
Edinburgh St Marys 35 25.40x
Selkirk 34 25.21x
Dumfries 33 28.62x
Melrose 33 39.82x
Dryfesdale 31 57.55x
Langholm 31 36.90x
Middlebie 31 88.39x
Caldewgate 30 12.02x
Barrow In Furness 29 3.40x
Bothwell 28 6.03x
Cockermouth 28 29.19x
New Monkland 28 5.53x
Troqueer 28 27.86x
Birkenhead 27 2.90x
Bishopwearmouth 27 2.00x
Cockpen 27 32.59x
Dalmellington 27 23.18x
Kilsyth 27 21.70x
Penrith 25 14.85x
Tweedmouth 25 25.47x
Kirkpatrick Juxta 24 125.59x
Penicuik 24 24.91x
Sandsting Aitsting 24 49.00x
Forfar 23 8.66x
Abbey 22 3.52x
Everton 22 1.10x
Hamilton 22 4.61x
Jedburgh 22 23.42x
Rutherglen 22 8.76x
Edinburgh Canongate 21 11.64x
Monkwearmouth Shore 21 6.83x
Hawick 20 9.32x
Kilham 20 706.71x
Wilton 20 19.02x
Cranston 19 105.09x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 19 2.79x
Islington London 19 0.37x
Lerwick Gulberwick 19 22.71x
West Greenock 19 2.58x
Denny 18 17.34x
East Greenock 18 4.65x
Irongray 18 126.58x
Liverpool 18 0.47x
Muirkirk 18 19.35x
Peebles 18 24.47x
Bunkle Preston 17 129.08x
Hutton 17 115.25x
Kirkdale 17 1.61x
Libberton 17 149.65x
Penninghame 17 23.72x
Innerleithen 16 24.22x
Lesmahagow 16 8.84x
Liff Benvie 16 2.15x
Renfrew 16 11.81x
Sanguhar 16 102.83x
Biggar 15 38.77x
Gateshead 15 1.27x
Glencairn 15 47.73x
Whitby 15 55.66x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Moffat surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 104
Elizabeth 59
Jane 52
Margaret 45
Sarah 35
Ann 30
Isabella 27
Annie 26
Catherine 21
Janet 17
Agnes 16
Ellen 14
Hannah 13
Eliza 12
Alice 9
Emma 8
Jessie 7
Eleanor 6
Frances 6
Matilda 6
Marion 5
Rebecca 5
Caroline 4
Georgina 4
Louisa 4
Susan 4
Amelia 3
Barbara 3
Betsy 3
Bridget 3
Catharine 3
Clara 3
Ellenor 3
Fanny 3
Harriet 3
Helen 3
Lucy 3
Margt. 3
Maria 3
Mildred 3
Charlotte 2
Christian 2
Christina 2
Elizth. 2
Emily 2
Kate 2
Louise 2
Maggie 2
Margret 2
Virtue 2

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Moffat surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 129
William 87
James 73
Robert 61
Thomas 52
George 42
Joseph 27
Andrew 20
Henry 11
Walter 11
David 9
Edward 9
Alexander 8
Charles 8
Samuel 7
Alfred 6
Richard 6
Arthur 5
Jonathan 5
Robt. 5
Thos. 5
Frederick 4
Ralph 4
Roger 4
Wm. 4
Adam 3
Albert 3
Archibald 3
Herbert 3
Jacob 3
Matthew 3
Alexandra 2
Benjamin 2
Caleb 2
Daniel 2
Donald 2
Edmund 2
Geo. 2
Isaac 2
J. 2
Michael 2
Peter 2
Robt.M. 2
Rodger 2
Douglas 1
Duncan 1
Edgar 1
Hubert 1
Hunter 1
Wm.John 1

FAQ

Moffat surname: questions and answers

How common was the Moffat surname in 1881?

In 1881, 5,506 people were recorded with the Moffat surname. That placed it at #807 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Moffat surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 7,009 in 2016. That gives Moffat a modern rank of #961.

What does the Moffat surname mean?

A Scottish locational surname derived from the lands of Moffat in Dumfriesshire, likely meaning "long plain" in Gaelic.

What does the Moffat map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Moffat bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.