2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Moellenkamp
A locational surname referring to someone who lived on a meadow or field near a mill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Moellenkamp. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Moellenkamp 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Moellenkamp in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Moellenkamp, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Moellenkamp
The surname Moellenkamp originated in the German state of Lower Saxony, with records dating back to the 16th century. The name is believed to have derived from the Low German words "mölle" and "kamp," which translate to "mill" and "enclosed field," respectively. This suggests that the earliest bearers of the name may have been associated with a mill located within an enclosed or fortified area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Moellenkamp can be found in the parish registers of the town of Lemgo, where a certain Johann Moellenkamp was registered as a resident in the year 1576. Another early record comes from the town of Bünde, where a Heinrich Moellenkamp was mentioned in a land deed from 1612.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the name Moellenkamp appeared in various historical documents and records across Lower Saxony and the neighboring regions of Westphalia and the Rhineland. Variations in spelling, such as Möllenkamp, Möllencamp, and Möllenkampe, were common due to the lack of standardized orthography at the time.
One notable individual bearing the name Moellenkamp was Johann Christoph Moellenkamp (1738-1809), a German painter and engraver from the town of Herford. He is known for his religious paintings and engravings, some of which can still be found in churches and museums across Germany.
Another historical figure of note was Friedrich Wilhelm Moellenkamp (1796-1876), a German mathematician and educator from the city of Münster. He made significant contributions to the field of mathematics education and authored several textbooks that were widely used in schools throughout Germany during the 19th century.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, members of the Moellenkamp family began emigrating from Germany to other parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia. One such individual was Heinrich Moellenkamp (1854-1932), who left Germany in 1872 and settled in the state of Wisconsin, where he worked as a farmer and became a respected member of the local German immigrant community.
Other notable individuals with the surname Moellenkamp include Karl Moellenkamp (1892-1957), a German architect and urban planner who designed several buildings and residential areas in Berlin during the interwar period, and Hans Moellenkamp (1916-2003), a German-American artist and illustrator known for his works depicting life in rural America.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Moellenkamp
Among Census respondents with the surname Moellenkamp, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Moellenkamp 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 Moellenkamp surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.2% · 113
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Moellenkamp
Moellenkamp 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
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-5 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,812 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+13 bearers (+12.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 10,579 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 14,812 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | +13 bearers (+12.1%) | Up 10,579 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 Moellenkamp 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 | #152,628 | #142,049 | 6.9% |
| Count | 107 | 120 | 12.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Moellenkamp bearers went from 107 to 120 (+12.1% change). The surname moved up 10,579 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #142,049.
FAQ
Moellenkamp surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Moellenkamp?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Moellenkamp. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Moellenkamp?
Moellenkamp ranks #142,049 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 120 people with the surname Moellenkamp. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), 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 Moellenkamp.
Has Moellenkamp become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Moellenkamp went from 107 recorded bearers to 120. That is an increase of 13 (+12.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #152,628 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Moellenkamp?
Among Census respondents with the surname Moellenkamp, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). 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 Moellenkamp in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.2% (113 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Moellenkamp appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.2%), Hispanic (3.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). 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 Moellenkamp (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 Moellenkamp mean?
A locational surname referring to someone who lived on a meadow or field near a mill. 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 Moellenkamp (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 have the last name Moellenkamp?
You can see how many people are called Moellenkamp on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.