Motson Family History

From the Middle English female personal name Modde or *Motte + son. Modde is known in one instance to be a pet form of Old French Modeste: Thomas son of Modde de Lynley (1307) is also called Thomas son of Modesta de Lynley (1308) in Wakefield Court Rolls 2 pp. 69 139.

However, Modeste is extremely rare in English medieval records. In most cases, Modson and Motson are either reduced forms of Middle English Moldeson or Molteson ‘son of Maud’ (see Moulson).

These forms were independently coined from Middle English *Modde and *Motte as pet forms of Mold and Molt (i.e. Maud see Mould).