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

Moor, 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 Moor surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Moor in America

Moor is the 12981st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Moor surname appeared 2,365 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Moor.

We can also compare 2010 data for Moor 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.

The history of the last name Moor

The surname "Moor" is of Old English origin, derived from the word "mor" meaning "marsh" or "swamp". It was initially a topographic name given to someone who lived near or worked on a marshy area. The name can be traced back to the 12th century, with early recordings such as Roger de la More in the Pipe Rolls of Norfolk in 1166 and William de la More in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1203.

The Moor surname is particularly prevalent in counties like Somerset, Dorset, and Devon in southwestern England, where marshlands and wetlands were abundant. It is also found in other parts of England, such as Staffordshire and Cheshire, suggesting the migration of families bearing this name over time.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "de la More" and "atte More", indicating that some families were already using this surname during the Norman conquest of England.

In the 13th century, we find records of Richard de la More, who was a landowner in Somerset in 1243. Another notable figure was Sir Thomas de la More, a member of Parliament for Somerset in 1304.

During the 14th century, the surname began to take on various spellings, such as "Moor", "Moore", and "More". One prominent individual with this name was Sir Thomas More (1478-1535), a renowned Renaissance humanist, lawyer, and writer who served as Lord Chancellor of England under King Henry VIII.

In the 16th century, we have records of Richard Moor (c. 1570-1617), an English playwright and dramatist who wrote several plays, including "The Fencing Master" and "The Cruel Fair".

Another notable figure was Sir Jonas Moore (1617-1679), an English mathematician and surveyor who was involved in the rebuilding of London after the Great Fire of 1666.

In the 18th century, James Moor (1712-1779) was an English philosopher and writer known for his work "An Essay on the Nature and Immutability of Truth" which influenced later philosophers.

During the 19th century, John Moor (1789-1858) was a British naval officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became an admiral in the Royal Navy.

These are just a few examples of the many individuals throughout history who bore the surname "Moor" or its variant spellings, reflecting its long-standing presence and significance in various areas of English society.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Moor

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

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 Moor was:

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 Moor has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Moor was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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