- Origin: Welsh
- Gender: Anglo-Welsh
- Meaning: “bog town.”
- First Est. 18th-century
From the transferred use of the Welsh place and surname, despite it being a Welsh locative name, it is likely Anglo-Saxon in origin meaning, “bog town.” It is composed of the elements mos (bog) and -tun (settlement; town). The first element of mos later evolved into moss in modern English, changing its meaning.
The Mostyn family were an old landed lineage in North Wales, prominent since the 13th century and known for their estates near the Dee Estuary. It is the name of two Welsh baronetcies created at the end of the 17th-century. The name later transferred into given-name use, first appearing in England and Wales during the 18th century. An early notable bearer was Mostyn Armstrong (b. 1791), an English creator of maps.
It is a rare but steadily used name in England and Wales, being given to at least 5 males per year as of 2024. It is often shortened to Moss.
Sources