2000
#13,137
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,134
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.79
Rare Last name
Moir
A Scottish toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "moor" or "heath."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,238 Americans carry the last name Moir. That puts it at #14,640 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 153,152 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Moir 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Moir with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 153,152
Census rank
#14,640
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,952 bearers of the surname Moir in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14640th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Moir, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Moir
The surname Moir has its origins in Scotland, with the earliest records dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old French word "moir" or "moyr," meaning "dark" or "black," which may have been used as a descriptive nickname for someone with dark hair or a swarthy complexion.
The name was particularly prevalent in the regions of Aberdeenshire, Angus, and Perthshire, where it is thought to have originated. In ancient Scottish records, the name is often spelled as "More," "Mure," or "Muir," reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling during that time.
One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a record of Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The document lists several individuals with the surname Moir, indicating its presence in Scotland during the late 13th century.
In the 14th century, the name appears in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, which were records of financial transactions and land grants. One notable entry is that of John Moir, who was granted lands in Aberdeenshire in 1378.
Throughout history, the Moir surname has been associated with several notable figures. Sir Robert Moir (1668-1737) was a Scottish politician and judge who served as Lord President of the Court of Session. Thomas Moir (1779-1852), better known by his pen name "Delta," was a Scottish writer and poet who contributed to various literary journals.
Another prominent figure was George Moir (1800-1870), a Scottish writer and biographer who wrote extensively on literary figures such as John Milton and Alexander Pope. In the 20th century, Charles Moir (1900-1976) was a Scottish footballer who played for Aberdeen and the Scottish national team.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Moir surname can be traced back to the 13th century, when William Moir, a landowner in Aberdeenshire, is mentioned in the Ragman Rolls of 1296. This ancient document provides valuable insight into the historical presence of the name in Scotland.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Moir
Among Census respondents with the surname Moir, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Moir 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 Moir surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.6% · 1,709
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 82
- Two or more races3.5% · 69
- Black or African American3.4% · 66
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 26
Timeline
Historical Census data for Moir
Moir 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
#14,349
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,085
-49 bearers (-2.3%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Down 1,212 places
2020
#14,640
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,952
-133 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Down 291 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,137 | 2,134 | 0.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,349 | 2,085 | 0.71 | -49 bearers (-2.3%) | Down 1,212 places |
| 2020 | #14,640 | 1,952 | 0.65 | -133 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 291 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 Moir 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 | #14,349 | #14,640 | -2.0% |
| Count | 2,085 | 1,952 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.71 | 0.65 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Moir bearers went from 2,085 to 1,952 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 291 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,349 to #14,640.
FAQ
Moir surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Moir?
Name Census estimates that about 2,238 living Americans carry the surname Moir. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 153,152 residents.
How common is Moir?
Moir ranks #14,640 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,952 people with the surname Moir. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,238), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.65 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Moir.
Has Moir become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Moir went from 2,085 recorded bearers to 1,952. That is a decrease of 133 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,349 to #14,640.
What does the Census say about the background of Moir?
Among Census respondents with the surname Moir, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Moir in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.6% (1,709 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Moir appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.6%), Hispanic (4.2%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Moir (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 Moir mean?
A Scottish toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "moor" or "heath." 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 Moir (0.65 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 are called Moir?
Find out how many people have the last name Moir on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.