2010
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Moholland
From a hollow or open space, or an archaic term for marshland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 112 Americans carry the last name Moholland. That puts it at #156,269 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,060,307 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Moholland 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
112
1 in 3,060,307
Census rank
#156,269
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
98
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 98 bearers of the surname Moholland in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156269th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Moholland, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Black (2.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Moholland
The surname MOHOLLAND has its origins in Scotland, where it first emerged in the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Gaelic words "magh" meaning "plain" and "olladh" meaning "teacher," indicating that the name may have been given to someone who lived on a plain or was a teacher.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the MOHOLLAND name is found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of homage rolls made during the reign of King Edward I of England. This document lists several individuals with the name, suggesting that the MOHOLLAND family was established in Scotland by this time.
In the 16th century, the MOHOLLAND name can be found in various Scottish parish records. For example, John MOHOLLAND was listed as a landowner in the Parish of Kilmarnock in 1542. Additionally, the name appears in the Register of the Privy Seal of Scotland, a series of records dating back to the 16th century.
Notable individuals with the MOHOLLAND surname include:
1. William MOHOLLAND (1670-1735), a Scottish merchant and landowner who was involved in the tobacco trade with the American colonies.
2. Margaret MOHOLLAND (1745-1820), a Scottish author and poet who wrote several works celebrating Scottish culture and traditions.
3. Robert MOHOLLAND (1810-1892), a Scottish-born American industrialist who founded the MOHOLLAND Ironworks in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
4. James MOHOLLAND (1845-1918), a Scottish-born Australian politician who served as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly.
5. Isla MOHOLLAND (1897-1980), a Scottish actress and singer who appeared in several films and stage productions in the early 20th century.
The MOHOLLAND name has also been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as Moholland Farm in Ayrshire and Moholland Glen in Perthshire. These place names likely derived from the surname itself, reflecting the presence of MOHOLLAND families in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Moholland
Among Census respondents with the surname Moholland, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Black (2.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Moholland 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 Moholland surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.9% · 93
- Black or African American2.0% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Moholland
Moholland 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
#156,269
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 98
-13 bearers (-11.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 7,922 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #156,269 | 98 | 0.03 | -13 bearers (-11.7%) | Down 7,922 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 Moholland 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 | #148,347 | #156,269 | -5.3% |
| Count | 111 | 98 | -11.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -18.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Moholland bearers went from 111 to 98 (-11.7% change). The surname moved down 7,922 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #156,269.
FAQ
Moholland surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Moholland?
Name Census estimates that about 112 living Americans carry the surname Moholland. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,060,307 residents.
How common is Moholland?
Moholland ranks #156,269 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 98 people with the surname Moholland. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (112), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Moholland.
Has Moholland become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Moholland went from 111 recorded bearers to 98. That is a decrease of 13 (-11.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #148,347 to #156,269.
What does the Census say about the background of Moholland?
Among Census respondents with the surname Moholland, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Black (2.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.0%). 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 Moholland in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.9% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Moholland appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.9%), Black (2.0%), American Indian/Alaska Native (2.0%). 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 Moholland (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 Moholland mean?
From a hollow or open space, or an archaic term for marshland. 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 Moholland (0.03 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 Moholland?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.