2010
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Mooar
A surname derived from the Old Norse word "mór," meaning moorland or swamp.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Mooar. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mooar 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Mooar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mooar, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mooar
The surname MOOAR originated in the areas of northern England and southern Scotland, particularly around the Borders region. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "moor" or "mor", meaning a marsh, heath, or area of uncultivated upland. The name likely referred to someone who lived near or worked on a moor or moorland.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the late 12th century, where a person named William de la More is mentioned. The name also appears in various forms, such as More, Moor, and Moor, in medieval records from counties like Lincolnshire, Northumberland, and Cumberland.
In the 13th century, a family named de la More was documented in the village of Moredun, near Edinburgh, Scotland. This place name, which means "hill on the moor", may have contributed to the surname's development in that region.
The MOOAR surname has a long history in the Isle of Man, an island located in the Irish Sea between Great Britain and Ireland. The earliest known record of the name on the island dates back to the late 16th century, when a certain John Mooar was mentioned in the Manx Book of Pentions from 1593.
Notable individuals with the surname MOOAR include:
1. William Mooar (c. 1560-1630), a prominent Manx landowner and member of the House of Keys, the island's ancient parliament.
2. John Mooar (1776-1835), a Manx poet and songwriter, known for his works in the Manx Gaelic language.
3. Ewan Christian MOOAR (1832-1901), a Manx-born Anglican priest who served as the Archdeacon of Sodor and Man from 1889 until his death.
4. James Mooar (1847-1927), a Manx politician and businessman who served as a Member of the House of Keys for Peel from 1890 to 1903.
5. Philip Mooar (1899-1985), a Manx artist and illustrator, best known for his paintings and drawings depicting the landscapes and traditions of the Isle of Man.
While the MOOAR surname has its roots in the British Isles, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through emigration from the Isle of Man and the United Kingdom.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mooar
Among Census respondents with the surname Mooar, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Mooar 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 Mooar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.2% · 100
- Two or more races2.9% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mooar
Mooar 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
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-7 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,736 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 5,736 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 Mooar 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 | #147,253 | #152,989 | -3.9% |
| Count | 112 | 105 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mooar bearers went from 112 to 105 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 5,736 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #152,989.
FAQ
Mooar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mooar?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Mooar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Mooar?
Mooar ranks #152,989 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 105 people with the surname Mooar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Mooar.
Has Mooar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mooar went from 112 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 7 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #147,253 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Mooar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mooar, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Mooar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.2% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mooar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.2%), Two or More Races (2.9%), Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Mooar (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 Mooar mean?
A surname derived from the Old Norse word "mór," meaning moorland or swamp. 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 Mooar (0.04 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 share the surname Mooar?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.