2000
#58,999
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 321
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.12
Rare Last name
Moo
A toponymic surname likely derived from the Old English "mō" meaning a moor or marsh.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,027 Americans carry the last name Moo. That puts it at #6,241 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 56,870 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Moo 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
6.0K
1 in 56,870
Census rank
#6,241
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,256 bearers of the surname Moo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6241st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Moo, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and White (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Moo
The surname "MOO" originated in England during the late medieval period, around the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "mowe," which referred to a hillock or small hill. This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who resided near or on a small hill or mound.
Records from the 13th and 14th centuries show various spellings of the name, including "Mowe," "Mow," and "Moo." One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname was John Mowe, who was mentioned in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1285.
The name appears in several historical documents, such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it is listed as "Mou" and "Mowe." Additionally, the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landholdings in England compiled in 1086, includes references to place names that may have influenced the surname, such as "Moue" and "Muda."
Notable individuals with the surname "MOO" throughout history include:
1. William Moo (c. 1520 - 1592), an English composer and organist during the Renaissance period, known for his sacred music.
2. John Moo (1611 - 1670), a prominent English lawyer and Member of Parliament during the English Civil War and Commonwealth period.
3. Mary Moo (1678 - 1744), an English author and poet, best known for her collection of sonnets titled "Nature's Musings."
4. Robert Moo (1789 - 1862), a Scottish-born inventor and engineer who developed improvements in steam engine technology.
5. Elizabeth Moo (1824 - 1901), an American educator and pioneer in the field of women's education, founding one of the first colleges for women in the United States.
It is worth noting that the surname "MOO" may have also been influenced by certain place names or locations, such as the village of Mow Cop in Cheshire, England, or the River Mow in Gloucestershire. However, the exact origins and connections remain uncertain due to the limited historical records available.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Moo
Among Census respondents with the surname Moo, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and White (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Moo 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 Moo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander89.5% · 4,702
- Hispanic or Latino5.2% · 271
- White3.1% · 161
- Two or more races1.3% · 70
- Black or African American0.9% · 46
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Moo
Moo 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
#16,064
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,803
+1,482 bearers (+461.7%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Up 42,935 places
2020
#6,241
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,256
+3,453 bearers (+191.5%)
Per 100,000 1.76
Rank movement Up 9,823 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #58,999 | 321 | 0.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,064 | 1,803 | 0.61 | +1,482 bearers (+461.7%) | Up 42,935 places |
| 2020 | #6,241 | 5,256 | 1.76 | +3,453 bearers (+191.5%) | Up 9,823 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 Moo 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 | #16,064 | #6,241 | 61.1% |
| Count | 1,803 | 5,256 | 191.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.61 | 1.76 | 188.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Moo bearers went from 1,803 to 5,256 (+191.5% change). The surname moved up 9,823 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,064 to #6,241.
FAQ
Moo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Moo?
Name Census estimates that about 6,027 living Americans carry the surname Moo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 56,870 residents.
How common is Moo?
Moo ranks #6,241 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.76 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 5,256 people with the surname Moo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,027), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.76 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 Moo.
Has Moo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Moo went from 1,803 recorded bearers to 5,256. That is an increase of 3,453 (+191.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #16,064 to #6,241.
What does the Census say about the background of Moo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Moo, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and White (3.1%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Moo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.5% (4,702 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Moo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (89.5%), Hispanic (5.2%), White (3.1%). 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 Moo (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 Moo mean?
A toponymic surname likely derived from the Old English "mō" meaning a moor or marsh. 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 Moo (1.76 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 Moo?
Want to know how common the surname Moo is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.