Moll last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Moll is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Moll.

Meaning of Moll

A surname of German origin, derived from a shortened form of a personal name beginning with "Mold-".

Moll, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Moll surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Moll in America

Moll is the 4938th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Moll surname appeared 7,131 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Moll.

We can also compare 2010 data for Moll to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 4938 4739 4.11%
Count 7,131 6,844 4.11%
Proportion per 100k 2.42 2.54 -4.84%

The history of the last name Moll

The surname Moll has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "mol," which meant "mole" or "small hill." The name was likely originally a descriptive nickname given to someone who lived near a small hill or mound.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landholders in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are several entries for individuals with the surname Moll or similar spellings, such as Molle or Mol. This suggests that the name was already established in parts of England by the late 11th century.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Moll was Richard Moll, who was born in Hertfordshire, England, around 1220. He was a landowner and is mentioned in several historical documents from the mid-13th century.

In the 14th century, there are records of a John Moll from Oxfordshire, who was a prominent merchant and served as a member of the local council. His son, William Moll (c. 1380-1452), was a respected lawyer and held various positions in the local government.

During the 16th century, the surname Moll appeared in various parts of England, with some families settling in areas such as Gloucestershire and Somerset. One notable individual from this period was John Moll (c. 1525-1592), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Gloucestershire.

In the 17th century, the Moll surname was also found in parts of Scotland and Ireland, likely due to migration and intermarriage between families. One notable figure from this time was Robert Moll (1642-1718), a Scottish mathematician and cartographer who published several influential maps and atlases.

Another significant individual with the surname Moll was Herman Moll (c. 1654-1732), a Dutch cartographer and engraver who worked in London. He produced numerous maps and atlases, including the famous "Moll's Atlas" published in the early 18th century.

Over time, the surname Moll also spread to other parts of Europe and beyond, with variations in spelling and pronunciation. However, its roots can be traced back to the Old English word "mol" and the early medieval period in England.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Moll

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Moll.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Moll was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 89.58% 6,388
Non-Hispanic Black Only 1.40% 100
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 2.22% 158
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.13% 9
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.25% 89
Hispanic Origin 5.43% 387

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Moll has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 89.58% 92.50% -3.21%
Black 1.40% 1.15% 19.61%
Asian and Pacific Islander 2.22% 0.96% 79.25%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.13% 0.15% -14.29%
Two or More Races 1.25% 1.01% 21.24%
Hispanic 5.43% 4.22% 25.08%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Moll was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Moll, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Moll last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/moll-surname-popularity/.

"Moll last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/moll-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 December, 2024

Moll last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/moll-surname-popularity/.

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