MORDAUNT
Mordaunt is a surname of English and French origin that has been recorded in the British Isles and beyond for over nine centuries. It is traditionally associated with the Old French word mordant, meaning “biting” or “sharp”, and was initially a nickname describing a person with a biting or sarcastic manner. The name was subsequently adopted as a hereditary family name.
The earliest documentary references to the name appear in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066, when it was brought over by followers of Duke William of Normandy. In the 12th century the name was occasionally recorded as Osbert le Mordaunt of Bedfordshire (1199) and later as Edward Mordant, a student at Oxford University in 1575. In France and Italy the spelling varied: it was found as Mordant, Mordaunt, Mordagne, Mordant (French) and Mordanti (Italian). The 1880 Victorian etymologist Canon Charles Bardsley proposed that the name meant “the biter”, a reference perhaps to someone who achieved success at the expense of another.
Early records in France suffered destruction during the Revolution of 1792, and Italian documents were inconsistent until the centralised civil registration established after 1860. A notable French entry is Jean Baptiste Mordant, christened at Montherme in the Ardennes on 11 October 1791.
Throughout history the Mordaunt surname has appeared in various people of distinction, including naval officer Sir David Mordaunt, who served during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, and contemporary scholars and artists who carry the name. The spelling Mordaunt remained the most common form in English-speaking countries, while the French variants were less widely used.
Today, individuals bearing the surname are found in England, the United States, Canada, Australia and other parts of the world. The distribution reflects the decades of migration and the endurance of the family name through the centuries. While the original nickname may have described a particular temperament, the modern bearers of Mordaunt represent a diverse array of backgrounds and professions, making the surname an example of how names can evolve from a single descriptive word into a recognised hereditary family name.
Typical given names associated with the Mordaunt surname
Male
- Adam
- Alastair
- Anthony
- Christopher
- David
- Edward
- George
- James
- John
- Peter
- Timothy
- Tony
Female
- Alison
- Angela
- Belinda
- Catherine
- Christine
- Elizabeth
- Helen
- Louisa
- Mary
- Michelle
- Penelope
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Mordaunt in...
Braille
⠍⠕⠗⠙⠁⠥⠝⠞
Morse
-----.-.-...-..--.-
Semaphore
There are approximately 217 people named Mordaunt in the UK. That makes it one of Britain's least common surnames. Only around three in a million people in Britain are named Mordaunt.
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Mordaunt
- Penny Mordaunt - Politician
- Elinor Mordaunt - Writer (1872 to 1942)
- Osbert Mordaunt - Cricketer (1876 to 1949)
- David Mordaunt - Cricketer
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.