The Moffat Clan has approximately 60,000 people in the genealogy database, and the numbers increase almost daily. For inquiries please contact the Clan Moffat Society.
The Moffat Clan has approximately 60,000 people in the genealogy database, and the numbers increase almost daily. For inquiries please contact the Clan Moffat Society.
As members of the Clan Moffat moved out of Scotland to France, England, Germany, Canada, the United States, and to other parts of the world, spelling of the name changed. Because Clan Moffat had never merged with other Clans (it remained a "closed" Clan), all persons of original Scottish descent with the surname Moffat, in any of its various spellings, are related.
The spellings recogized by the Chief of the Clan are:
Moffat, Moffatt, Moffet, Moffett
Moffit, Moffitt, Maffat, Maffatt
Maffet, Maffett, Maffit, Maffitt
Muffat, Muffatt, Muffet, Muffett
Muffit, Muffitt, Morphat, Morphatt
Morphet, Morphett, Morphit, Morphitt.
(Other variations may be recognized by Moffat of that Ilk or the Executive Council of the Moffat Clan Society.)
Membership is by family. A husband or wife of a member and all dependent children under the age of 18 are automatically members and are entitled to participate in activities of the Society.
The Clan sponsors and participates in gatherings at Scottish Games and Festivals across the United States and Canada. The Society organizes several group trips per year and every few years, a trip to Moffat, Scotland. The Society also publishes a newsletter called "Moffatana" that is free to all member households.
For Membership Information Contact:
All clans have their own heraldic crest and motto. The Moffat motto in Latin is: Spero Meliora, the English translation is, "I hope for better things". It is thought this motto was chosen for the Moffat Clan's very early connections with the church.
The Coat of Arms is actually the sole property of the Chief. No one may use the Coat of Arms for his or her own purposes. This Chief's right is protected by law in Scotland. Clan members are descendants of the Chief and are therefore allowed to wear a crested badge that is encircled by a STRAP AND BUCKLE bearing the Chief's Motto. The strap and buckle is the sign of the clansman and demonstrates his membership in his Chief's Crest within it.The Arms of Moffat of That Ilk consist of the Shield, Helmet, Mantling, Crest and Motto. A Crest must have a shield, without a shield the crest means nothing. The Moffat shield is that of the ancient Lords of Annandale. The Annandale shield was adopted in 1190, about the time of the Third Crusade. Several very old Annandale families bear the same basic shield, one to mention is that of St. Andrew's. The Lord Lyon's own words about the Moffat Shield was that, "This is a shield of extreme antiquity." His explanation went on to say the fewer the changes to a shield the greater its antiquity. The Moffat shield bears no changes at all. The Bruce shield also bears no changes so you can make your own estimation as to the age of the Moffat shield.
The likeness of the Moffat crested badge appears on this page. It is not the Crest of the Clan Chief. Only Madame Jean Moffat of that Ilk has the right to use the Moffat Crest.
The late Moffat Chief, Francis Moffat, chose a plant badge for use in the Spring of 1987. The Plant is a Cloud Berry, or a Raspberry sprig may be substituted since the cloud berry is hard to find. The plant sprig may be placed behind a Cap Badge. Submitted by: Stephen Moffett. [an error occurred while processing this directive]