2010
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Mokos
A probable Americanized spelling of a Polish surname derived from a nickname for "Moses".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Mokos. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mokos 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Mokos in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mokos, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mokos
The surname MOKOS is believed to have originated in Lithuania, dating back to the 15th century. It is derived from the Lithuanian word "mokuoti," which means "to pay" or "to owe." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who collected taxes or debts.
MOKOS is a variation of the more commonly spelled Lithuanian surname "Mokuitis," which shares the same root. In historical records from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the name appears with various spellings, such as "Mokuit," "Mokuyth," and "Mokwyt."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name MOKOS is found in a 16th-century manuscript from the city of Vilnius, which mentions a merchant named Jonas MOKOS. Another notable early reference is in the Metrica of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, a collection of official documents from the 15th to 18th centuries, where several individuals with the surname MOKOS are listed as landowners or officials.
In the 17th century, a prominent Lithuanian noble family, the Mokoskis, held significant influence and wealth. The family's ancestral estate was located in the village of Mokoskai, which likely contributed to the evolution of their surname.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname MOKOS is Andrius MOKOS, born around 1550 in the town of Kaunas. He was a merchant and landowner who played a role in the local government.
Another notable figure was Petras MOKOS (1620-1687), a Catholic priest and scholar who served as a professor at the University of Vilnius and wrote several theological works.
In the 18th century, Jurgis MOKOS (1710-1782) was a renowned architect and engineer who designed several churches and public buildings in Lithuania, including the Church of St. Raphael the Archangel in Vilnius.
During the 19th century, Antanas MOKOS (1825-1891) was a prominent Lithuanian writer and poet who contributed to the cultural revival of the Lithuanian language and literature.
Finally, Juozas MOKOS (1892-1957) was a Lithuanian military officer who played a significant role in the country's struggle for independence and later served as a diplomat.
While the surname MOKOS has its roots in Lithuania, it has since spread to other countries due to migration and has become more widespread globally.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mokos
Among Census respondents with the surname Mokos, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Mokos 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 Mokos surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.1% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mokos
Mokos 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
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-2 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 179 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -2 bearers (-1.9%) | Up 179 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 Mokos 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 | #153,769 | #153,590 | 0.1% |
| Count | 106 | 104 | -1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mokos bearers went from 106 to 104 (-1.9% change). The surname moved up 179 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #153,590.
FAQ
Mokos surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mokos?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Mokos. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Mokos?
Mokos ranks #153,590 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 104 people with the surname Mokos. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), 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 Mokos.
Has Mokos become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mokos went from 106 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Mokos?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mokos, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Mokos in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.1% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mokos appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.1%), Hispanic (1.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Mokos (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 Mokos mean?
A probable Americanized spelling of a Polish surname derived from a nickname for "Moses". 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 Mokos (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 have the last name Mokos?
See how many people have the last name Mokos on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.