Moss Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Moss last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
Order your pack and our heraldry team researches and paints the Moss coat of arms for you.
Meaning and origin of the Moss last name
Meaning of the Moss last name: dweller by a bog, or from Moses. Moss has two very different sources. In northern England and Scotland it often meant someone who lived by a peat bog, from the old word moss for boggy ground. It can also be a medieval form of the biblical name Moses. The name is common in Lancashire, Cheshire and Yorkshire. A curious detail: the racing driver Stirling Moss made it one of the best-known names in motor sport.
Arms associated with the Moss name
In medieval England colours carried meaning, with blue for loyalty and red for courage, and arms used by Moss families draw on that language.
Get your full Moss family history
This is only a glimpse of the Moss story. The full Moss 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 Moss coat of arms. Get the full Moss report.
Moss name FAQ
What does the Moss name mean?
Dweller by a bog, or from Moses. Common variants include Mosse, Mossman, Moses.
Where does the Moss surname come from?
It originates in England, and is also found in the United States, Australia and Scotland.
Is there a Moss coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Moss coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Researched by Herald Lab Research Studio, since 1993. Sources: Reaney & Wilson, Dictionary of English Surnames; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford); US Census Bureau 2010.