The Mott surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 17,092 people carried this name — #2,117 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 17,300 people counted. About the same as in 2000 (17,013).

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What the name means

The meaning of the Mott surname

As an English surname, spelling variant of Motte.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Mott» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘at the moat’ — the first of the origins he gives.

An early record he cites: Elena Mott, 1379 — Poll Tax, West Riding of Yorkshire.

His entry covers Mott, Motte, Mote and Moth.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 542 · public domain.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 20 people named Mott live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in La Rioja.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

La Rioja 20

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In the Nordic population registers

41 people named Mott is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 41

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Mott was found among the farmers of Essex: 18 in every 10,000.

Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Essex 18

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

159 families named Mott, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 888 people lived in those households, 5.6 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 6 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

New York 72
Connecticut 13
Pennsylvania 12
South Carolina 12
Virginia 11
Vermont 9
Massachusetts 9
Rhode Island 8
North Carolina 7
Maryland 4
Maine 1
New Hampshire 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 254 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Mott in American newspapers,
1898–1912.

Newspaper page from The Weekly Corinthian carrying the name Mott
The Weekly Corinthian 1898-01-01
Newspaper page from The Caldwell Watchman carrying the name Mott
The Caldwell Watchman 1912-02-02

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 540,554 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Mott in Australian newspapers,
1820s–1990s.

27,441 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Mott. The most, 5,452, date from the 1930s.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 8,775
Victoria 6,404
Queensland 5,507
South Australia 2,595
Western Australia 2,232
Tasmania 1,759
ACT (Canberra) 89
Northern Territory 17

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Mott.

Who carried it

People named Mott,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Katharine Jerome Purdy Mott
    Katharine Jerome Purdy Mott d. 1927
  • James Mott
    James Mott 1739–1823 · politician
  • Charles Mott d. 1851
  • Frances Crever d. 1803
  • Ann-Marie Mott d. 2020
  • Hermann Mott 1624–1704 · priest

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Mott,
in the records of 8 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States2,646 records

2,646 records of the Mott name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 1,074
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 645
  • Other U.S. records 927
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Barry Lee Mott

    Born 1946; from Savage, Minnesota. U.S. Marine Corps, rifleman; killed in action 1966 in Quang Nam, South Vietnam. Buried at Fort Snelling National Cemetery, Minnesota.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Claude B. Mott

    Born 1906 in California. Enlisted 1942 at Los Angeles; driver from Los Angeles County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1984, buried at Roseburg National Cemetery, Oregon.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Kunigunde Mott

    Arrived at New York in 1860 aboard the Jubilaeum from Bremen, aged 16; smith. From Obersberg, Germany; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 2,646 records for Mott in the United States.

Counts: NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia595 records

595 records of the Mott name in Australia
  • Tasmanian Names Index 168
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 146
  • Other Australian records 281
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Robert John Mott

    Died 1902 in Forth, Tasmania. Will registered in Tasmania in 1902.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Matilda Elizabeth Mott

    Born 1851 in Campbell Town, Tasmania. Married 1882 in Port Sorell, Tasmania, aged 30.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record David Mott

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Royal Admiral, arriving 1830.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)

Showing 3 of 595 records for Mott in Australia.

Counts: Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain).

Canada143 records

143 records of the Mott name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 95
  • Halifax municipal cemeteries 16
  • Other Canadian records 32
  1. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record Rosania Mott

    Left New York in 1783 aboard the Bridgewater, bound for St. Johns, aged 25.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record William C. Mott

    Buried in 1931 at Mount Hermon Cemetery, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, aged 73.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record David Stephen Mott

    Buried in 2001 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 60.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.

Showing 3 of 143 records for Mott in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Emigration file, Gündlingen, 1883, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Staatsarchiv Freiburg B 694/1 Nr. 1389 (CC BY 4.0); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

Germany30 records

30 records of the Mott name in Germany
  • Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919 29
  • German estate files 1
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Eberhardt Mott

    From Kervendonk, Geldern. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 30 March 1916 (Reserve Infantry Regiment No. 39).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Xaver Mott

    Estate settled at Zimmerau in 1823.

    Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek / Staatsarchiv Würzburg (CC0)
  3. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Karl Mott

    From Mannheim. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 2 November 1916 (Infantry Regiment No. 111).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Showing 3 of 30 records for Mott in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0) · Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

United Kingdom26 records

26 records of the Mott name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 18
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 8
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Bookham John Mott

    Buried in 1819 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 43.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record C. L. Mott

    London Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Sarah Mott

    Buried in 1845 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 60.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Showing 3 of 26 records for Mott in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Netherlands11 records

11 records of the Mott name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 8
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 2
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 1
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Allegonda Mott

    Died 1892 in Well, aged 54.

    Open Archives, Regionaal Historisch Centrum Limburg (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Magdalena Mott

    Married in 1753 in Breda; born in Breda.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Breda (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Anna Maria Helena Mott

    Died 1908 in Boxmeer.

    Open Archives, Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 11 records for Mott in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

New Zealand5 records

5 records of the Mott name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 3
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 1
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Leslie Ranson Mott

    Died 1986, aged 64; buried at Picton Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record William Edward Ranson Mott

    Died 1948, aged 65; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mary Mott

    Buried in 1907 at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 88.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 5 records for Mott in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

France3 records

3 records of the Mott name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Jacques Antoine Mott

    Born 1942 in Montois-la-Montagne; died 1994 in Metz (Moselle).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Juliette Helene Mott

    Born 1922 in Is-sur-Tille (Côte-d'Or); died 1995 in Émerainville (Seine-et-Marne).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 3 records for Mott in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Mott.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Mott is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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