African-American heritage of presidents of the United States
Calvin Coolidge's mother Victoria Moor was claimed to be of a mixed-race family in Vermont. Vaughn noted that her surname was derived from "Moor", a European term for people of North Africa. He did not note that another meaning of her surname is the landscape feature of moor or bog. People's surnames were often based on such landscape features when surnames became generally adopted in 14th century England. Moor/Moore is a common name in England, Scotland, and Ireland.
Nicholas de Moels
His parentage is unknown. His surname appears to derive from the Norman manor of Meulles in Calvados, south-west of Orbec, in the Diocese of Lisieux. Devonshire historian Tristram Risdon (d.1640) stated that he ""descended of an ancient lineage in this shire"" but provided no further detail. One of the many tenants of Devonshire baron Baldwin de Meulles (died 1090), a Domesday Book tenant in chief, was a certain "Roger de Moles", who held from him at least the two manors or estates of Lew Trenchard and Waddlescot / Warson. Later, in 1242 as recorded in the Book of Fees, these lands were held by a certain "John de Molis" from John de Courtenay, feudal baron of Okehampton, who had inherited much of the land formerly held by Baldwin, including Okehampton Castle. This John de Molis, perhaps a brother of Nicholas, would also hold Lashbrook, Dornaford, Exbourn and Highampton, which had been held by a Roger de Molis in 1086.