2000
#114,852
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 141
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Moenich
A surname derived from a place name referring to someone from a particular town or location.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Moenich. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Moenich 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Moenich in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Moenich, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Moenich
The surname MOENICH originates from Germany, with the earliest known records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Middle High German word "münich," which means "monk" or "friar." This suggests that the name was likely given to individuals or families who resided near a monastery or were associated with monastic life.
One of the earliest documented references to the name MOENICH can be found in the records of the town of Wittenberg, where a certain Hans Moenich is mentioned as a resident in the year 1539. Another early record comes from the city of Cologne, where a man named Peter Moenich is listed as a merchant in the year 1572.
In the 17th century, the name MOENICH appeared in various regions of Germany, including the states of Bavaria, Saxony, and Rhineland-Palatinate. It is possible that the name was also present in areas of modern-day Belgium and the Netherlands, as these regions shared linguistic and cultural ties with parts of Germany during that time.
Notable individuals with the surname MOENICH throughout history include Johann Moenich (1598-1671), a German theologian and author who wrote several influential works on Protestant theology. Another prominent figure was Wilhelm Moenich (1732-1802), a German architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in Berlin and other cities.
In the 19th century, the name MOENICH can be found in records from the German states of Prussia and Saxony, as well as in areas of modern-day Poland and the Czech Republic, which were part of the German Empire at the time. One notable individual from this period was Karl Moenich (1860-1934), a German industrialist and entrepreneur who founded a successful textile manufacturing company.
Other individuals with the surname MOENICH include Heinrich Moenich (1785-1859), a German composer and organist who wrote numerous works for church and chamber music, and Anna Moenich (1912-1987), a German novelist and poet who gained recognition for her works exploring themes of identity and social issues.
While the surname MOENICH is not as common today as it once was, its historical significance lies in its connection to monastic life and the ecclesiastical traditions of Germany and neighboring regions. The name has endured through the centuries, reflecting the rich cultural and linguistic heritage of Central Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Moenich
Among Census respondents with the surname Moenich, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Moenich 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 Moenich surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.1% · 114
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Moenich
Moenich 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
#131,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
-12 bearers (-8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,527 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-14 bearers (-10.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,378 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #114,852 | 141 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #131,379 | 129 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-8.5%) | Down 16,527 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -14 bearers (-10.9%) | Down 14,378 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 Moenich 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 | #131,379 | #145,757 | -10.9% |
| Count | 129 | 115 | -10.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Moenich bearers went from 129 to 115 (-10.9% change). The surname moved down 14,378 positions in the national ranking, going from #131,379 to #145,757.
FAQ
Moenich surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Moenich?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Moenich. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Moenich?
Moenich ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Moenich. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Moenich.
Has Moenich become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Moenich went from 129 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 14 (-10.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #131,379 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Moenich?
Among Census respondents with the surname Moenich, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Moenich in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.1% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Moenich appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.1%), Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Moenich (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 Moenich mean?
A surname derived from a place name referring to someone from a particular town or location. 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 Moenich (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 Moenich?
Find out how many people are called Moenich on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.