2000
#9,513
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,135
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.16
Rare Last name
Moise
Derived from the French name Moïse, referring to the biblical figure Moses, likely denoting a Jewish heritage.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,497 Americans carry the last name Moise. That puts it at #6,759 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 62,353 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Moise 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 Moise with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.5K
1 in 62,353
Census rank
#6,759
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,794 bearers of the surname Moise in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6759th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Moise, the largest self-reported group is Black at 75.6%. The next largest groups are White (17.4%) and Hispanic (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Moise
The surname MOISE has its origins in France, dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French personal name Moise, which in turn comes from the Hebrew name Moshe, meaning "drawn out" or "pulled out." This name was popularized by the biblical figure Moses, who led the Israelites out of Egypt.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the MOISE surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Moises." This suggests that the name was already present in Normandy before the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.
In the 12th century, the name was found in various regions of France, including Normandy, Brittany, and the Île-de-France. Records from this period show variations in spelling, such as "Moyses," "Moises," and "Moyse."
During the 13th century, the MOISE surname began to spread across Europe, with bearers of the name appearing in records from England, Italy, and Spain. One notable individual from this time was Jacques MOISE, a French philosopher and theologian who lived in Paris around 1250.
By the 14th century, the MOISE surname had become well-established in France, with several notable figures bearing the name. One of them was Pierre MOISE, a French cleric and scholar who served as the Bishop of Évreux from 1349 to 1368.
In the 15th century, the name continued to be found across France, with several prominent individuals bearing the MOISE surname. These included Jean MOISE, a French merchant and banker who lived in Marseille during the late 1400s, and Étienne MOISE, a French poet and playwright from Lyon, who lived from around 1460 to 1520.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the MOISE surname spread further across Europe, with bearers of the name appearing in records from Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. One notable individual from this period was Isaac MOISE, a French Huguenot who fled religious persecution in France and settled in England in the late 1600s.
Throughout the centuries, the MOISE surname has been associated with various places in France, such as the town of Moissac in southwestern France, which may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the name in some regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Moise
Among Census respondents with the surname Moise, the largest self-reported group is Black at 75.6%. The next largest groups are White (17.4%) and Hispanic (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Moise 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 Moise surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American75.6% · 3,622
- White17.4% · 835
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 197
- Two or more races2.5% · 118
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Moise
Moise 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
#7,829
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,230
+1,095 bearers (+34.9%)
Per 100,000 1.43
Rank movement Up 1,684 places
2020
#6,759
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,794
+564 bearers (+13.3%)
Per 100,000 1.60
Rank movement Up 1,070 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,513 | 3,135 | 1.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,829 | 4,230 | 1.43 | +1,095 bearers (+34.9%) | Up 1,684 places |
| 2020 | #6,759 | 4,794 | 1.60 | +564 bearers (+13.3%) | Up 1,070 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 Moise 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 | #7,829 | #6,759 | 13.7% |
| Count | 4,230 | 4,794 | 13.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.43 | 1.60 | 12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Moise bearers went from 4,230 to 4,794 (+13.3% change). The surname moved up 1,070 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,829 to #6,759.
FAQ
Moise surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Moise?
Name Census estimates that about 5,497 living Americans carry the surname Moise. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 62,353 residents.
How common is Moise?
Moise ranks #6,759 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.60 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,794 people with the surname Moise. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,497), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.60 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Moise.
Has Moise become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Moise went from 4,230 recorded bearers to 4,794. That is an increase of 564 (+13.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,829 to #6,759.
What does the Census say about the background of Moise?
Among Census respondents with the surname Moise, the largest self-reported group is Black at 75.6%. The next largest groups are White (17.4%) and Hispanic (4.1%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Moise in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.6% (3,622 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Moise appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (75.6%), White (17.4%), Hispanic (4.1%). 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 Moise (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 Moise mean?
Derived from the French name Moïse, referring to the biblical figure Moses, likely denoting a Jewish heritage. 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 Moise (1.60 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 common is the surname Moise?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Moise, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.