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Motto Family History

Motto Surname Meaning

Italian: when not a masculinized form of Motta from a shortened pet form of a personal name ending in -mo such as Guglielmo Giacomo.

Scottish: perhaps a habitational name from a lost place called with Middle English motte ‘fortified stronghold’ + ho(e) ‘ridge hill’.

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


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Where is the Motto family from?

You can see how Motto families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Motto family name was found in the USA, the UK, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Motto families were found in USA in 1920. In 1891 there were 5 Motto families living in Hampshire. This was about 56% of all the recorded Motto's in United Kingdom. Hampshire had the highest population of Motto families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Motto 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 Motto ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, House Decorator and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Motto. 100% of Motto men worked as a House Decorator and 100% of Motto women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties.

View Census Data for Motto | 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.

Top Male Occupations In 1939

  • House Decorator
    100%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    100%

What Motto family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 5,000 census records available for the last name Motto. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Motto census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Motto

Passenger Lists

There are 1,000 immigration records available for the last name Motto. 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 Motto immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 2,000 military records available for the last name Motto. For the veterans among your Motto ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Motto military records

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