2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Moorby
A surname originating from an English place name consisting of elements meaning "moor" and "farm" or "village."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Moorby. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Moorby 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 Moorby with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Moorby in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Moorby, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Moorby
The surname Moorby originated in England, with its earliest known recordings dating back to the late 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "mor" meaning "marsh" or "moor," and "by" meaning "village" or "settlement." This suggests that the name may have referred to individuals who resided in a village or community situated near a marshy or moorland area.
One of the earliest documented references to the name Moorby can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the year 1197, which mentions a person named Willelmus de Morebi. The Pipe Rolls were a series of financial records maintained by the English Exchequer, indicating that individuals bearing this surname were already established in Yorkshire by the late 12th century.
The Moorby surname is also believed to have evolved from various place names across England, such as Moorby in Lincolnshire and Moorby in Yorkshire. These place names likely originated from similar Old English roots, further reinforcing the connection between the surname and its geographical origins.
Several notable individuals have borne the surname Moorby throughout history. One such individual was John Moorby (c. 1520 - c. 1580), an English Protestant reformer and Bishop of Norwich during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another notable figure was Richard Moorby (c. 1610 - 1678), an English clergyman who served as the Rector of Walpole in Norfolk.
In the 17th century, the Moorby surname appears in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Beverley, Yorkshire. These records document the baptism of Thomas Moorby in 1622 and the marriage of William Moorby to Elizabeth Basforth in 1626.
During the 18th century, the Moorby surname can be found in various genealogical records and historical documents across northern England. For instance, the baptismal records of Holy Trinity Church in York mention the christening of John Moorby in 1730.
Another notable individual bearing this surname was Thomas Moorby (1776 - 1835), an English landowner and Justice of the Peace in Yorkshire. His son, William Moorby (1805 - 1863), was a prominent lawyer and served as the Recorder of Richmond, a judicial position in Yorkshire.
While the Moorby surname originated in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through emigration and migration patterns. However, its roots can be traced back to the marshlands and moorlands of northern England, where the name first emerged and evolved over several centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Moorby
Among Census respondents with the surname Moorby, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Moorby 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 Moorby surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 98
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.7% · 4
- Two or more races2.8% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Moorby
Moorby 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
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+7 bearers (+6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,399 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-10 bearers (-8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,795 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.3%) | Down 2,399 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.5%) | Down 9,795 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 Moorby 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 | #141,140 | #150,935 | -6.9% |
| Count | 118 | 108 | -8.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Moorby bearers went from 118 to 108 (-8.5% change). The surname moved down 9,795 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #150,935.
FAQ
Moorby surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Moorby?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Moorby. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Moorby?
Moorby ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Moorby. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Moorby.
Has Moorby become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Moorby went from 118 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Moorby?
Among Census respondents with the surname Moorby, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Moorby in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Moorby appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), American Indian/Alaska Native (3.7%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Moorby (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 Moorby mean?
A surname originating from an English place name consisting of elements meaning "moor" and "farm" or "village." 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 Moorby (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 have the surname Moorby?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.