Is an affiant and a notary the same thing?

An affiant and a notary are not the same thing.

An affiant is the person who signs an affidavit or statement.

The notary (often called "notary public") is an official who witnesses the affiant's signature, often by affixing a seal of the state in which the notary is licensed. Note that a notary may not notarize his/her own signature. Therefore, even if an affiant (person who is signing a statement), a separate person who is licensed as a notary must witness and stamp the first affiant's signature.

What the notary is notarizing is the person's signature--not the validity of any statement.

Is this now clear as mud?