Muth
A surname most likely rooted in the old Germanic word for courage or spirit.
The #6,681 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 61,089 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is generally taken from the old Germanic word found in Old High German muot and Old Saxon muod, meaning “courage,” “spirit,” or “mood.” In modern German the related word is Muth/Mut, so the name would originally have functioned as a nickname for a brave or resolute person. Some 19th-century writers also treated forms like Moth and Mote as related to the same root.
History
The name appears in German-language surname traditions and was noted by 19th-century onomastic writers as a form connected with courage. In English-speaking records it is comparatively uncommon, but it also occurs as an imported German surname. Because short Germanic surname forms can overlap with unrelated local names, some individual family lines may have separate origins.
Origin
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Fun fact
19th-century surname scholars often grouped Muth with a cluster of short Germanic names meaning bravery, alongside forms like Mote and Moth.
From the historical record
“Muttitt. Fr. Mottet ; D. Muthe ; Fl. Muth; p.n. Mutton. Fr. Mouton; a p.n. Or see Mitton and Motton Hugo de Mutton temp. K. John, Rot. Obi. et Fin.”
— British Family Names: their origin and meaning (1st ed.)