Maurese
A variant form of the Latin name Maurice, meaning "dark-skinned" or "Moor".
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Maurese. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Maurese today is around 31 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Maurese births was 1984 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Maurese. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Maurese. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
1984
5 babies that year
Average age
31
years old
2003 SSA rank
#12,092
Tracked since 1984
Popularity
Maurese: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Maurese from the 1980s through to the 2000s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 5 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Maurese by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Maurese during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Maurese
The name Maurese originated from the Latin word "maurus," which means "dark-skinned" or "swarthy." This name has its roots in ancient Rome, where it was used to refer to people from the region of Mauretania, a part of North Africa that includes modern-day Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia.
During the Roman Empire, the name Maurese was associated with individuals from this region, particularly those who had darker complexions. It was not an uncommon practice for Romans to adopt names or nicknames based on physical characteristics or places of origin.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Maurese can be found in the writings of the Roman historian Suetonius. In his work "The Twelve Caesars," Suetonius mentions a certain Maurese who served as a soldier in the Roman army during the reign of Emperor Claudius (41-54 AD).
In the early Middle Ages, the name Maurese gained popularity among Christian communities in parts of Europe and North Africa. It was sometimes used as a baptismal name for converts from the regions formerly known as Mauretania.
One notable figure from this period was Maurese of Cologne (c. 620 - c. 700), a Benedictine monk and missionary who played a significant role in the evangelization of the Rhineland region of modern-day Germany.
In the 12th century, a prominent Italian jurist and canonist named Maurese of Pavia (c. 1120 - c. 1190) made significant contributions to the development of canon law and legal scholarship.
During the Renaissance period, the name Maurese found its way into the arts. Maurese da Perugia (c. 1475 - c. 1537) was an Italian painter and architect known for his work in the city of Perugia and the surrounding region.
In more recent history, Maurese Cunningham (1922 - 2007) was an American jazz pianist and composer who performed with notable artists such as Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker.
While the name Maurese is not as common today as it once was, it still holds a rich historical significance, reflecting its origins in ancient times and its association with diverse cultures and influential figures throughout history.
People
Maurese + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Maurese as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Maurese: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Maurese?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Maurese going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 34,275,434 US residents.
Is Maurese a common name?
We classify Maurese as "Very Rare". It ranks above 28.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Maurese most popular?
The single biggest year for Maurese was 1984, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Maurese is about 31 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Maurese in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Maurese a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Maurese in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Maurese still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Maurese in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Maurese can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Maurese?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.