2000
#94,227
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 180
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Moens
A surname derived from the Dutch word "moen" meaning "pleasant" or "agreeable".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 212 Americans carry the last name Moens. That puts it at #103,399 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,616,766 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Moens 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
212
1 in 1,616,766
Census rank
#103,399
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
185
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 185 bearers of the surname Moens in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 103399th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Moens, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.1%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Moens
The surname MOENS is of Dutch and Flemish origin, tracing its roots back to the Low Countries in Western Europe during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Dutch word "moene," which referred to a small island or a piece of land surrounded by water or marshes.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname MOENS can be found in the 14th century Bruges town records, where a certain Jan Moens was mentioned as a resident in 1363. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region during that time.
In the 16th century, the MOENS name appeared in various historical documents, such as the Antwerp Guild records and the Leiden University archives. One notable individual from this era was Pieter Moens, a renowned Flemish painter who lived between 1520 and 1588.
As the Dutch and Flemish peoples migrated to different parts of Europe and the New World, the MOENS surname spread to other regions. In the 17th century, a family bearing the name MOENS settled in the Cape Colony of South Africa, where they became influential members of the local community.
The 18th century saw the rise of several prominent individuals with the MOENS surname. One such figure was Johan Moens (1706-1781), a Dutch jurist and legal scholar who served as a professor at the University of Leiden. His works on Roman law were widely respected and influential during his time.
Another notable MOENS was Petrus Moens (1745-1807), a Dutch botanist and naturalist who made significant contributions to the study of plant life in the Dutch East Indies (modern-day Indonesia).
In the 19th century, the MOENS name gained recognition in the field of literature with the Belgian writer and poet Jan Moens (1833-1904). His works, which often explored themes of Flemish nationalism and identity, played a crucial role in the Flemish literary revival of the late 19th century.
Other notable individuals with the MOENS surname include Marie Moens (1879-1954), a Belgian feminist and advocate for women's rights, and Willy Moens (1888-1959), a Dutch-American architect who designed several iconic buildings in New York City.
While the MOENS surname has its origins in the Low Countries, it has since spread to various parts of the world, with families bearing this name found in countries like the United States, Canada, Australia, and South Africa.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Moens
Among Census respondents with the surname Moens, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.1%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Moens 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 Moens surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.1% · 163
- Hispanic or Latino8.1% · 15
- Two or more races2.7% · 5
- Black or African American1.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Moens
Moens 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
#95,545
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 191
+11 bearers (+6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 1,318 places
2020
#103,399
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 185
-6 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 7,854 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #94,227 | 180 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #95,545 | 191 | 0.06 | +11 bearers (+6.1%) | Down 1,318 places |
| 2020 | #103,399 | 185 | 0.06 | -6 bearers (-3.1%) | Down 7,854 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 Moens 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 | #95,545 | #103,399 | -8.2% |
| Count | 191 | 185 | -3.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.06 | 3.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Moens bearers went from 191 to 185 (-3.1% change). The surname moved down 7,854 positions in the national ranking, going from #95,545 to #103,399.
FAQ
Moens surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Moens?
Name Census estimates that about 212 living Americans carry the surname Moens. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,616,766 residents.
How common is Moens?
Moens ranks #103,399 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 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 185 people with the surname Moens. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (212), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 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 Moens.
Has Moens become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Moens went from 191 recorded bearers to 185. That is a decrease of 6 (-3.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #95,545 to #103,399.
What does the Census say about the background of Moens?
Among Census respondents with the surname Moens, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.1%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Moens in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.1% (163 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Moens appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.1%), Hispanic (8.1%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Moens (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 Moens mean?
A surname derived from the Dutch word "moen" meaning "pleasant" or "agreeable". 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 Moens (0.06 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 Americans have the surname Moens?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.