2000
#5,143
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,261
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.32
Rare Last name
Money
An occupational surname referring to a banker, minter, or lender of money.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,184 Americans carry the last name Money. That puts it at #5,374 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 47,711 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Money 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 Money with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.2K
1 in 47,711
Census rank
#5,374
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,265 bearers of the surname Money in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5374th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Money, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Black (9.6%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Money
The surname MONEY is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is likely derived from an occupational name, referring to someone who was involved in minting, handling, or lending money. The name may have roots in the Old English word "munece," which means "moneyer" or "mint worker."
In the 11th century, the Domesday Book, a record of landowners in England, mentions several individuals with the surname MONEY or similar spellings, such as Moneher and Monnier. These early records suggest that the name was present in various parts of England, including Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, and Suffolk.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname MONEY was William MONEY, who lived in Cambridgeshire in the 13th century. Another notable bearer of this name was John MONEY, a wealthy merchant from Bristol who lived in the 15th century and was involved in the wool trade.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname MONEY became more widespread across England. Notable individuals from this period include Robert MONEY (1540-1603), a clergyman and author from Warwickshire, and James MONEY (1595-1668), a member of the English Parliament who represented the borough of Marlborough.
In the 18th century, the MONEY surname gained prominence in various fields. John MONEY (1718-1787) was a renowned English physician and philanthropist, while Obed MONEY (1737-1802) was a British naval officer who served in the American Revolutionary War.
The 19th century saw the MONEY surname spread to other parts of the world, particularly through British colonial expansion. One notable figure was William Taylor MONEY (1805-1867), a British colonial administrator who served as the Governor of British Guiana (now Guyana) from 1858 to 1863.
Over the centuries, the MONEY surname has been associated with various occupations and achievements, reflecting the diverse backgrounds of its bearers. While the name's origins may be rooted in the medieval occupational context, it has since evolved to represent a rich tapestry of individuals who have left their mark on history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Money
Among Census respondents with the surname Money, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Black (9.6%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Money 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 Money surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.1% · 5,021
- Black or African American9.6% · 602
- Two or more races4.7% · 292
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 239
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 87
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Money
Money 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
#5,421
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,420
+159 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 2.18
Rank movement Down 278 places
2020
#5,374
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,265
-155 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 2.10
Rank movement Up 47 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,143 | 6,261 | 2.32 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,421 | 6,420 | 2.18 | +159 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 278 places |
| 2020 | #5,374 | 6,265 | 2.10 | -155 bearers (-2.4%) | Up 47 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 Money 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 | #5,421 | #5,374 | 0.9% |
| Count | 6,420 | 6,265 | -2.4% |
| Per 100K | 2.18 | 2.10 | -3.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Money bearers went from 6,420 to 6,265 (-2.4% change). The surname moved up 47 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,421 to #5,374.
FAQ
Money surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Money?
Name Census estimates that about 7,184 living Americans carry the surname Money. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 47,711 residents.
How common is Money?
Money ranks #5,374 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.10 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 6,265 people with the surname Money. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,184), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.10 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 Money.
Has Money become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Money went from 6,420 recorded bearers to 6,265. That is a decrease of 155 (-2.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,421 to #5,374.
What does the Census say about the background of Money?
Among Census respondents with the surname Money, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Black (9.6%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Money in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.1% (5,021 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Money appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.1%), Black (9.6%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Money (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 Money mean?
An occupational surname referring to a banker, minter, or lender of money. 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 Money (2.10 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 Americans have the surname Money?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.