UK surname
A surname derived from a nickname for a person with a large head or a mop of hair.
In the 1881 census there were 124 people recorded with the Motts surname, ranking it #17,429 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 61, ranked #34,287, down from #17,429 in 1881.
The strongest historical links point to Paignton, Lakenham , Eaton St Andrew, Town Close, St Stephen, St Peter Mancroft, St Giles, St Andrew, St John and Hellesdon, St Mary in the Marsh, St Clement, St Martin at Oak, St Mary at Coslany, St Michael at Cos. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include No data.
Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Motts is 162 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 50.8%.
1881 census count
124
Ranked #17,429
Modern count
61
2016, ranked #34,287
Peak year
1911
162 bearers
Map years
5
1861 to 1911
Key insights
Map
Back to topThe map shows where the Motts surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.
Distribution map
Motts surname density by area, 1881 census.
Timeline
Back to topThe 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 | 66 | #21,617 |
| 1861 | historical | 126 | #17,569 |
| 1881 | historical | 124 | #17,429 |
| 1891 | historical | 160 | #17,555 |
| 1901 | historical | 151 | #17,988 |
| 1911 | historical | 162 | #17,003 |
| 1997 | modern | 86 | #28,876 |
| 1998 | modern | 89 | #29,026 |
| 1999 | modern | 87 | #29,398 |
| 2000 | modern | 81 | #30,036 |
| 2001 | modern | 76 | #30,366 |
| 2002 | modern | 74 | #31,048 |
| 2003 | modern | 77 | #30,762 |
| 2004 | modern | 82 | #30,468 |
| 2005 | modern | 74 | #31,522 |
| 2006 | modern | 65 | #32,743 |
| 2007 | modern | 64 | #33,145 |
| 2008 | modern | 65 | #33,303 |
| 2009 | modern | 64 | #33,675 |
| 2010 | modern | 66 | #33,791 |
| 2011 | modern | 66 | #33,768 |
| 2012 | modern | 68 | #33,763 |
| 2013 | modern | 66 | #34,003 |
| 2014 | modern | 64 | #34,141 |
| 2015 | modern | 62 | #34,233 |
| 2016 | modern | 61 | #34,287 |
Geography
Back to topHistorical parish links are strongest around Paignton, Lakenham , Eaton St Andrew, Town Close, St Stephen, St Peter Mancroft, St Giles, St Andrew, St John, Hellesdon, St Mary in the Marsh, St Clement, St Martin at Oak, St Mary at Coslany, St Michael at Cos, Fressingfield and London parishes. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.
The modern local-area list points to No data. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.
| Rank | Parish | Area |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paignton | Devon |
| 2 | Lakenham , Eaton St Andrew, Town Close, St Stephen, St Peter Mancroft, St Giles, St Andrew, St John | Norfolk |
| 3 | Hellesdon, St Mary in the Marsh, St Clement, St Martin at Oak, St Mary at Coslany, St Michael at Cos | Norfolk |
| 4 | Fressingfield | Suffolk |
| 5 | London parishes | London 2 |
| Rank | Area | District |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | No data | No data |
Forenames
Back to topThese lists show first names that appear often with the Motts surname in historical and recent records.
Recent female names
Recent male names
Modern profile
Back to topModern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Motts, 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
Supergroup
No data
Group
No data
Nationally, the Motts surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as No data, within No data. This does not mean every Motts household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.
London neighbourhood type
Supergroup
No data
Group
No data
Within London, Motts is most associated with areas classed as No data, part of No data. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.
Broadband speed
The modern neighbourhood pattern for Motts is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of No data.
Area snapshot
This describes the area pattern most associated with Motts, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.
Origin
Back to topThe surname Motts has its origins in England, with the earliest records dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "mot," meaning a small hill or mound, or the Old French word "motte," meaning a mound or embankment.
The name was likely initially used as a topographic surname, referring to someone who lived near a mound or hill. It was common for surnames to be derived from geographical features during the Middle Ages when hereditary surnames first came into use.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Motts can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, where a person named William Mottes is mentioned. The name also appears in the Rotuli Hundredorum, a record of landowners in England compiled in 1273, where a John Motte is listed as residing in Oxfordshire.
In the 13th century, the surname Motts appears to have been particularly prevalent in the counties of Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, and Wiltshire, suggesting that these areas may have been the original homelands of the family. The surname also had various spellings during this period, including Mott, Motte, and Mote.
One notable figure from history who bore the surname Motts was Sir John Mott (1346-1418), a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire during the reigns of Richard II and Henry IV. Another was Thomas Mott (1551-1636), a Puritan settler who emigrated from England to Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1629 and became one of the founders of the town of Newtown (now Cambridge), Massachusetts.
In the 17th century, a branch of the Motts family settled in Ireland, where the name was anglicized to Mott. Samuel Mott (1672-1735), born in County Cork, Ireland, was a notable Quaker preacher and minister who traveled extensively throughout England and the American colonies.
Other notable individuals with the surname Motts include Sir Newdigate Mott Newdegate (1758-1819), a British Member of Parliament and landowner, and Lucretia Mott (1793-1880), an American Quaker minister, abolitionist, and women's rights activist who played a pivotal role in the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
1881 census detail
Back to topThese tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Motts surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.
Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Norfolk leads with 29 Motts' recorded in 1881 and an index of 15.59x.
| County | Total | Index |
|---|---|---|
| Norfolk | 29 | 15.59x |
| Middlesex | 20 | 1.65x |
| Essex | 18 | 7.54x |
| Surrey | 12 | 2.04x |
| Suffolk | 10 | 6.79x |
| Devon | 6 | 2.38x |
| Northumberland | 6 | 3.33x |
| Kent | 5 | 1.21x |
| Yorkshire | 4 | 0.33x |
| Cornwall | 2 | 1.46x |
| Hampshire | 2 | 0.81x |
| Lincolnshire | 2 | 1.03x |
| Caernarfonshire | 1 | 2.05x |
| Cheshire | 1 | 0.37x |
| Hertfordshire | 1 | 1.20x |
| Lanarkshire | 1 | 0.26x |
| Leicestershire | 1 | 0.75x |
| Northamptonshire | 1 | 0.88x |
| Oxfordshire | 1 | 1.34x |
| Renfrewshire | 1 | 1.07x |
Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Heigham in Norfolk leads with 10 Motts' recorded in 1881 and an index of 100.20x.
| Place | Total | Index |
|---|---|---|
| Heigham | 10 | 100.20x |
| Great Yarmouth | 9 | 58.44x |
| Camberwell | 7 | 9.06x |
| East Donyland | 7 | 1206.90x |
| West Tilbury | 7 | 5000.00x |
| Norwich St Clement | 6 | 277.78x |
| Paignton | 6 | 312.50x |
| Eltham | 5 | 206.61x |
| Hackney London | 5 | 7.37x |
| Newcastle On Tyne All Sts | 5 | 46.51x |
| Shoreditch London | 5 | 9.54x |
| Brightside Bierlow | 4 | 17.01x |
| Islington London | 4 | 3.41x |
| Lambeth | 4 | 3.79x |
| Norwich St George Colegate | 4 | 588.24x |
| Ipswich St Clement | 3 | 80.21x |
| Somerleyton | 3 | 1200.00x |
| Bethnal Green London | 2 | 3.81x |
| Clee With Weelsby | 2 | 47.28x |
| Falmouth | 2 | 41.24x |
| Feering | 2 | 645.16x |
| Mile End Old Town | 2 | 10.48x |
| Paddington London | 2 | 4.50x |
| Bangor | 1 | 21.19x |
| Beyton | 1 | 714.29x |
| Butley | 1 | 434.78x |
| Colchester St Giles | 1 | 42.37x |
| Colchester St James | 1 | 103.09x |
| Farnborough | 1 | 38.46x |
| Govan | 1 | 1.03x |
| Holton | 1 | 1000.00x |
| Ipswich St Margaret | 1 | 20.00x |
| Jesmond | 1 | 39.53x |
| Kirkley | 1 | 81.30x |
| Lowestoft | 1 | 14.37x |
| Northampton All Sts | 1 | 25.91x |
| Osbaston | 1 | 1111.11x |
| Port Glasgow | 1 | 22.08x |
| Portsea | 1 | 2.06x |
| Royston | 1 | 140.85x |
| Southwark St George Martyr | 1 | 4.11x |
These are the female first names most often recorded with the Motts surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.
| Name | Count |
|---|---|
| Sarah | 6 |
| Martha | 4 |
| Eliza | 3 |
| Maria | 3 |
| Charlotte | 2 |
| Elizabeth | 2 |
| Emma | 2 |
| Florence | 2 |
| Harriet | 2 |
| Harriett | 2 |
| Louisa | 2 |
| Mary | 2 |
| Rosa | 2 |
| Rose | 2 |
| Ada | 1 |
| Adelaide | 1 |
| Adeliza | 1 |
| Alice | 1 |
| Amelia | 1 |
| Ann | 1 |
| Anne | 1 |
| Annie | 1 |
| Beatrice | 1 |
| Caroline | 1 |
| Charles | 1 |
| Christin | 1 |
| Edith | 1 |
| Ester | 1 |
| Gertrude | 1 |
| Hannah | 1 |
| Infant | 1 |
| J.T. | 1 |
| Janet | 1 |
| L.L. | 1 |
| Margaret | 1 |
| Matilda | 1 |
| Maud | 1 |
| Minnie | 1 |
These are the male first names most often recorded with the Motts surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.
Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Motts households.
FAQ
In 1881, 124 people were recorded with the Motts surname. That placed it at #17,429 in the surname rankings for that year.
The latest modern count shown here is 61 in 2016. That gives Motts a modern rank of #34,287.
A surname derived from a nickname for a person with a large head or a mop of hair.
The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Motts bearers relative to the surrounding population.
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.