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

Moore, 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 Moore surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Moore in America

Moore is the 18th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Moore surname appeared 724,374 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 246 people would have the surname Moore.

We can also compare 2010 data for Moore 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 Moore

The surname Moore has its origins in England and can be traced back to the early Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old English word "mor" meaning "marsh" or "moorland," suggesting that the earliest bearers of this name were likely from areas with moorland terrain.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Moore surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "de la More," indicating it was originally used as a locational surname for someone who lived near a moor or marshland.

Over time, the spelling of the name evolved, with variations such as Mor, More, Moor, and eventually Moore becoming more common. This surname was particularly prevalent in counties like Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Cheshire, where large expanses of moorland were found.

Notable historical figures with the surname Moore include Sir John Moore (1761-1809), a British Army officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars and is remembered for his famous retreat to Corunna. Another prominent figure was Henry Moore (1898-1986), the renowned English sculptor known for his abstract monumental bronze sculptures.

Other notable individuals with this surname include Mary Moore (1947-), an American astronomer and educator, and Sir Patrick Moore (1923-2012), a celebrated British amateur astronomer and television presenter. Thomas Moore (1779-1852), an Irish poet and songwriter best known for the lyrics of "The Minstrel Boy" and other Irish melodies, also bore this surname.

The Moore surname has been carried across the world by emigrants from the British Isles, and it can be found in various countries with significant British heritage, such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Moore

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

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

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

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