Moraes
A Portuguese surname derived from the plural form of "morada" meaning "dwellings".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Moraes. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Moraes today is around 21 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Moraes births was 2005 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Moraes. 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 Moraes. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2005
5 babies that year
Average age
21
years old
2005 SSA rank
#12,730
Tracked since 2005
Popularity
Moraes: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Moraes 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 Moraes during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Moraes
The name Moraes is of Portuguese origin, with roots tracing back to the 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the Portuguese word "mora," which means "dwelling" or "residence." This suggests that the name may have initially been associated with someone who lived in a particular place or settlement.
During the Age of Discovery, when Portuguese explorers and settlers ventured across the globe, the name Moraes likely spread to various regions influenced by Portuguese colonization. In Brazil, for instance, the name became relatively common, particularly among families with Portuguese ancestry.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Moraes can be found in the historical records of the 15th century Portuguese explorer and navigator, Pedro Álvares Cabral, who is credited with the discovery of Brazil in 1500. Among his crew members was a sailor named João de Moraes, who may have been one of the first individuals to bear this name in the Americas.
Throughout the centuries, several notable individuals have carried the name Moraes. In the 16th century, Pero de Moraes Sarmento was a Portuguese poet and author who wrote works on the history of Portugal. In the 17th century, Manuel de Moraes e Silva was a renowned Portuguese lexicographer and grammarian, known for his contributions to the study of the Portuguese language.
Moving forward, one of the most celebrated figures with the name Moraes was José Vieira Couto de Moraes, a 19th-century Brazilian journalist, politician, and abolitionists who played a crucial role in the movement to abolish slavery in Brazil. He was born in 1816 and passed away in 1883.
Another prominent individual was Prudente José de Moraes Barros, the third president of Brazil, who served from 1894 to 1898. He was born in 1841 and played a significant role in the transition from the Brazilian Empire to a republican form of government.
In the 20th century, Vinicius de Moraes, a Brazilian poet, playwright, and lyricist, gained international recognition for his contributions to the bossa nova music movement. He was born in 1913 and passed away in 1980, leaving behind a lasting legacy in Brazilian literature and music.
While these are just a few examples, the name Moraes has been carried by numerous individuals throughout history, reflecting its enduring presence and cultural significance, particularly in Portuguese-speaking regions and communities with ties to Portugal's rich historical legacy.
People
Moraes + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Moraes 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
Moraes: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Moraes?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Moraes 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Moraes a common name?
We classify Moraes as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Moraes most popular?
The single biggest year for Moraes was 2005, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Moraes is about 21 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 Moraes in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Moraes a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Moraes 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 Moraes still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Moraes 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 Moraes 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 Moraes as a first name?
If you just want to know how many people share the name Moraes, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.