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Mota Family History

Mota Surname Meaning

Spanish and Portuguese: topographic name for someone who lived by a fortified stronghold from mot(t)a a borrowing from Old French motte (see Motte).

Spanish: habitational name from any of the places in the provinces of Cuenca and Valladolid named Mota.

Catalan: topographic name from mota ‘hillock’ denoting someone who lived by a hillock.

Catalan: habitational name from any of the places in Girona and Valencia.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Mota family from?

You can see how Mota families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Mota family name was found in the USA, the UK, and Canada between 1880 and 1920. The most Mota families were found in USA in 1920. In 1891 there were 6 Mota families living in London. This was about 50% of all the recorded Mota's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Mota families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Mota surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Mota ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Laborer were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Mota. 52% of Mota men worked as a Laborer and 29% of Mota women worked as a Laborer. Some less common occupations for Americans named Mota were Labor and Seamstress.

View Census Data for Mota | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

United States shown, England data unavailable

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Laborer
    52%
  • Farm Laborer
    9%
  • Farmer
    7%
  • Labor
    7%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Laborer
    29%
  • Cook
    15%
  • New Worker
    15%
  • Seamstress
    15%

What Mota family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 7,000 census records available for the last name Mota. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Mota census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Mota

Passenger Lists

There are 4,000 immigration records available for the last name Mota. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Mota immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 951 military records available for the last name Mota. For the veterans among your Mota ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Mota military records

You've only scratched the surface of Mota family history

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What is the average Mota lifespan?

Between 1956 and 2004, in the United States, Mota life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1970, and highest in 1988. The average life expectancy for Mota in 1956 was 67, and 72 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Mota

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Mota ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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