2000
#10,615
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,770
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.03
Rare Last name
Moberg
A Swedish toponymic surname derived from the words mo, meaning "moor" or "heath," and berg, meaning "mountain" or "hill."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,933 Americans carry the last name Moberg. That puts it at #11,717 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 116,861 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Moberg surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 116,861
Census rank
#11,717
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,558 bearers of the surname Moberg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11717th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Moberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Moberg
The surname Moberg originated in Sweden and dates back to the late 16th century. It is derived from the Old Swedish word "mo," meaning a small hill or raised ground, and "berg," meaning mountain or hill. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a small hill or mountain.
The earliest known record of the name Moberg appears in parish records from the Swedish province of Västmanland in the late 1500s. These records document several families with the surname Moberg living in rural areas around the town of Nora. The name was also found in nearby provinces such as Dalarna and Värmland during this period.
In the 17th century, the Moberg name began appearing in church records from the city of Stockholm, indicating that some families had migrated to the capital from rural areas. One notable individual was Anders Moberg, a merchant born in Stockholm in 1624. He was a prominent figure in the city's trade guilds and served on the city council.
By the 18th century, the Moberg surname had spread throughout Sweden and was found in various regions. In 1763, Carl Moberg, a farmer from Östergötland province, was awarded a medal by King Adolf Frederick for his contributions to agriculture. Another notable figure was Johan Moberg, a Lutheran minister born in Skåne in 1782, who served as a chaplain in the Swedish army during the Napoleonic Wars.
In the 19th century, several Mobergs achieved recognition in fields such as academia and the arts. August Moberg (1823-1896) was a respected linguist and professor at Lund University, while his brother Gustaf Moberg (1825-1915) was a renowned painter and art teacher. Another notable individual was Erik Moberg (1854-1920), a pioneering Swedish journalist and newspaper editor.
As Swedish emigration to North America increased in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many individuals with the Moberg surname settled in the United States and Canada. One of the most famous was the writer Vilhelm Moberg (1898-1973), best known for his novels depicting Swedish emigration to Minnesota in the 19th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Moberg
Among Census respondents with the surname Moberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Moberg bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Moberg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 2,360
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 82
- Two or more races3.0% · 78
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 15
- Black or African American0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Moberg
Moberg appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#11,066
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,871
+101 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Down 451 places
2020
#11,717
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,558
-313 bearers (-10.9%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Down 651 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,615 | 2,770 | 1.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,066 | 2,871 | 0.97 | +101 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 451 places |
| 2020 | #11,717 | 2,558 | 0.86 | -313 bearers (-10.9%) | Down 651 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Moberg surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #11,066 | #11,717 | -5.9% |
| Count | 2,871 | 2,558 | -10.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.97 | 0.86 | -11.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Moberg bearers went from 2,871 to 2,558 (-10.9% change). The surname moved down 651 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,066 to #11,717.
FAQ
Moberg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Moberg?
Name Census estimates that about 2,933 living Americans carry the surname Moberg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 116,861 residents.
How common is Moberg?
Moberg ranks #11,717 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.86 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,558 people with the surname Moberg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,933), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.86 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Moberg.
Has Moberg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Moberg went from 2,871 recorded bearers to 2,558. That is a decrease of 313 (-10.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,066 to #11,717.
What does the Census say about the background of Moberg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Moberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Moberg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (2,360 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Moberg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Hispanic (3.2%), Two or More Races (3.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Moberg (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Moberg mean?
A Swedish toponymic surname derived from the words mo, meaning "moor" or "heath," and berg, meaning "mountain" or "hill." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Moberg (0.86 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Moberg?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.