2010
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Moeckly
From a place name location referring to someone from the village of Muckle.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Moeckly. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Moeckly 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Moeckly in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Moeckly, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (6.0%) and Hispanic (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Moeckly
The surname Moeckly is believed to have originated in Germany, with the earliest known records dating back to the 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the German word "Mücke," meaning "mosquito." This suggests that the name may have initially been a nickname or occupational name for someone who worked with insects or lived in an area with a large mosquito population.
One of the earliest known references to the Moeckly name can be found in the church records of the town of Oberkirch, located in the Black Forest region of Germany. In 1562, the birth of Hans Moeckly was recorded, indicating that the name was already in use in that area during the mid-16th century.
By the 17th century, the Moeckly name had spread to other parts of Germany, including the region of Saxony. In 1643, a man named Johann Moeckly was listed as a resident of the town of Freiberg, which was known for its silver mining industry.
In the 18th century, the Moeckly name began to appear in records from other parts of Europe, suggesting that members of the family had emigrated or traveled to new locations. For instance, in 1781, a man named Georg Moeckly was born in the town of Hausen, located in what is now Switzerland.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the Moeckly surname was Johann Michael Moeckly, a German philosopher and theologian who lived from 1708 to 1772. He was born in the town of Salzburg and later became a professor at the University of Göttingen.
Another notable figure was Wilhelm Moeckly, a German architect and builder who was active in the mid-19th century. He was responsible for designing and constructing several important buildings in the city of Berlin, including the Neue Synagoge, which was completed in 1866.
In the late 19th century, the Moeckly name also made its way to the United States, as evidenced by the birth of Charles Moeckly in 1879 in the state of Pennsylvania. Charles later became a successful businessman and was a prominent figure in the local community.
Other notable individuals with the Moeckly surname include Heinrich Moeckly (1822-1897), a German painter known for his landscapes and historical scenes, and Anna Moeckly (1891-1976), a Swiss-born author and poet who wrote extensively about her experiences living in the Swiss Alps.
While the Moeckly name may have originated as a nickname or occupational name related to insects or a specific location, it has since become a well-established surname with a rich history spanning multiple centuries and countries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Moeckly
Among Census respondents with the surname Moeckly, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (6.0%) and Hispanic (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Moeckly 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 Moeckly surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.2% · 102
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.0% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Moeckly
Moeckly appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+5 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,983 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.5%) | Up 2,983 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 Moeckly 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 | #147,253 | #144,270 | 2.0% |
| Count | 112 | 117 | 4.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Moeckly bearers went from 112 to 117 (+4.5% change). The surname moved up 2,983 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #144,270.
FAQ
Moeckly surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Moeckly?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Moeckly. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Moeckly?
Moeckly ranks #144,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 117 people with the surname Moeckly. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Moeckly.
Has Moeckly become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Moeckly went from 112 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 5 (+4.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #147,253 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Moeckly?
Among Census respondents with the surname Moeckly, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (6.0%) and Hispanic (5.1%). 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 Moeckly in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.2% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Moeckly appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (6.0%), Hispanic (5.1%). 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 Moeckly (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 Moeckly mean?
From a place name location referring to someone from the village of Muckle. 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 Moeckly (0.04 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 share the surname Moeckly?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.