2000
#39,824
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 519
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.19
Rare Last name
Mom
A surname derived from the Greek word meaning "mound" or "hillock".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,363 Americans carry the last name Mom. That puts it at #10,451 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.98 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 101,919 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mom 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
3.4K
1 in 101,919
Census rank
#10,451
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,933 bearers of the surname Mom in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.98 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10451st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mom, the largest self-reported group is White at 35.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (23.6%) and Hispanic (21.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mom
The surname "MOM" is believed to have originated in France during the Middle Ages, possibly derived from the Old French word "mome," which meant a small or insignificant person. It was likely a descriptive nickname given to someone of short stature or a child.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name dates back to the 13th century, when a man named Etienne Mom was mentioned in the records of the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés in Paris. The spelling variations at the time included "Momme," "Mome," and "Mommer."
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various regions of France, such as Normandy and Brittany, where it was often associated with towns or villages bearing similar names, like Mommeville or Mommenheim.
During the 16th century, the name gained some prominence with the birth of Jean Mom (1500-1572), a French jurist and legal scholar who served as a counselor in the Parlement of Paris.
Another notable figure was Jacques Mom (1612-1685), a French mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the development of calculus and the study of planetary motion.
In the 18th century, the name crossed over to England, where it was sometimes anglicized as "Momm" or "Mumm." One prominent individual was Sir William Mumm (1751-1835), a British naval officer who played a crucial role in the Battle of Trafalgar during the Napoleonic Wars.
As the name spread across Europe, it also found its way to Germany, where it was sometimes spelled as "Momm" or "Mommsen." One of the most famous bearers of this variation was Theodor Mommsen (1817-1903), a German historian and Nobel laureate known for his groundbreaking work on Roman history.
Over the centuries, the surname "MOM" has been associated with various professions and social classes, from scholars and jurists to military personnel and tradespeople, reflecting its diverse origins and adaptations across different regions and cultures.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mom
Among Census respondents with the surname Mom, the largest self-reported group is White at 35.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (23.6%) and Hispanic (21.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Mom 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 Mom surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White35.5% · 1,041
- Asian and Pacific Islander23.6% · 692
- Hispanic or Latino21.7% · 637
- Black or African American16.4% · 482
- Two or more races2.0% · 60
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mom
Mom 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
#34,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 656
+137 bearers (+26.4%)
Per 100,000 0.22
Rank movement Up 5,329 places
2020
#10,451
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,933
+2,277 bearers (+347.1%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Up 24,044 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #39,824 | 519 | 0.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #34,495 | 656 | 0.22 | +137 bearers (+26.4%) | Up 5,329 places |
| 2020 | #10,451 | 2,933 | 0.98 | +2,277 bearers (+347.1%) | Up 24,044 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 Mom 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 | #34,495 | #10,451 | 69.7% |
| Count | 656 | 2,933 | 347.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.22 | 0.98 | 346.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mom bearers went from 656 to 2,933 (+347.1% change). The surname moved up 24,044 positions in the national ranking, going from #34,495 to #10,451.
FAQ
Mom surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mom?
Name Census estimates that about 3,363 living Americans carry the surname Mom. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 101,919 residents.
How common is Mom?
Mom ranks #10,451 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.98 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 2,933 people with the surname Mom. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,363), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.98 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.98 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 Mom.
Has Mom become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mom went from 656 recorded bearers to 2,933. That is an increase of 2,277 (+347.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #34,495 to #10,451.
What does the Census say about the background of Mom?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mom, the largest self-reported group is White at 35.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (23.6%) and Hispanic (21.7%). 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 Mom in the 2020 Census, accounting for 35.5% (1,041 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mom appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (35.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (23.6%), Hispanic (21.7%). 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 Mom (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 Mom mean?
A surname derived from the Greek word meaning "mound" or "hillock". 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 Mom (0.98 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 Mom?
You can see how many people have the surname Mom on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.