2000
#6,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,639
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.72
Rare Last name
Moorehead
A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a moor or marshland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,135 Americans carry the last name Moorehead. That puts it at #7,195 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.50 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 66,749 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Moorehead 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 Moorehead with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.1K
1 in 66,749
Census rank
#7,195
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,478 bearers of the surname Moorehead in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.50 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7195th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Moorehead, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.1%. The next largest groups are Black (29.5%) and Hispanic (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Moorehead
The surname Moorehead is of Scottish origin and is believed to have originated in the 12th or 13th century. It is a locational name derived from a place called Moorhead, which is located near Bathgate in West Lothian, Scotland. The name is thought to come from the Old English words "mor" meaning "moor" and "heafod" meaning "head" or "hill", referring to a person who lived near a moorland hilltop.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Register of the Great Seal of Scotland in 1505, where a John Moirheid is mentioned. Another early reference is found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1532, which mention a Robert Moirheid.
In the late 16th century, the name was also recorded in various spellings such as Moorheid, Muirheid, and Muirhead. These variations were likely due to regional dialects and the inconsistencies in spelling during that time period.
One notable person with the surname Moorehead was Sir James Moorehead, who was born in 1770 and served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1832. He was a successful merchant and banker, and played a prominent role in the City of London.
Another prominent individual was John Moorehead (1734-1804), an American Presbyterian minister and educator who served as the first president of the University of Pennsylvania in 1779.
In the field of literature, there was Mary Moorehead (1905-1994), an Australian novelist and biographer who wrote several books about the lives of famous writers and explorers.
The name Moorehead is also associated with Sir William Moorehead (1835-1919), a Scottish engineer and shipbuilder who was knighted for his contributions to the industry.
Lastly, Alan Moorehead (1910-1983) was a renowned Australian writer and journalist, known for his works on World War II and other historical events.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Moorehead
Among Census respondents with the surname Moorehead, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.1%. The next largest groups are Black (29.5%) and Hispanic (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Moorehead 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 Moorehead surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White61.1% · 2,737
- Black or African American29.5% · 1,321
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 184
- Two or more races3.9% · 174
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 36
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 26
Timeline
Historical Census data for Moorehead
Moorehead 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
#6,995
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,791
+152 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 1.62
Rank movement Down 283 places
2020
#7,195
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,478
-313 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 1.50
Rank movement Down 200 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,712 | 4,639 | 1.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,995 | 4,791 | 1.62 | +152 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 283 places |
| 2020 | #7,195 | 4,478 | 1.50 | -313 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 200 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 Moorehead 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 | #6,995 | #7,195 | -2.9% |
| Count | 4,791 | 4,478 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.62 | 1.50 | -7.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Moorehead bearers went from 4,791 to 4,478 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 200 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,995 to #7,195.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Moorehead
FAQ
Moorehead surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Moorehead?
Name Census estimates that about 5,135 living Americans carry the surname Moorehead. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 66,749 residents.
How common is Moorehead?
Moorehead ranks #7,195 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.50 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,478 people with the surname Moorehead. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,135), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.5 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.50 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Moorehead.
Has Moorehead become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Moorehead went from 4,791 recorded bearers to 4,478. That is a decrease of 313 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,995 to #7,195.
What does the Census say about the background of Moorehead?
Among Census respondents with the surname Moorehead, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.1%. The next largest groups are Black (29.5%) and Hispanic (4.1%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Moorehead in the 2020 Census, accounting for 61.1% (2,737 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Moorehead appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (61.1%), Black (29.5%), Hispanic (4.1%). 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 Moorehead (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 Moorehead mean?
A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a moor or marshland. 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 Moorehead (1.50 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 Americans have the surname Moorehead?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.