Mota Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Mota last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Mota last name
Meaning of the Mota last name: "mound". Mota is a Portuguese surname for someone who lived by a mota, a mound or earth bank, often a raised site with a small fort, or came from a place called Mota. The Brazilian spelling Motta is common. The last name is widespread in Portugal and Brazil.
Arms associated with the Mota name
Coats of arms associated with the Mota surname follow Portuguese heraldry, each set out in a short blazon.
Get your full Mota family history
This is only a glimpse of the Mota story. The full Mota history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Mota coat of arms. Get the full Mota report.
Mota name FAQ
What does the Mota name mean?
"mound". Common variants include Motta, Da Mota.
Where does the Mota surname come from?
It originates in Portugal, and is also found in Brazil, Angola and Cape Verde.
Is there a Mota coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Mota coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: José Pedro Machado, Dicionário Onomástico Etimológico da Língua Portuguesa (Lisboa, 1984); Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).