Moorer last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Moorer

One who lived on a moor or in a fen, derived from the Old English "mor" meaning "marsh" or "fen."

Moorer, 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 Moorer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Moorer in America

Moorer is the 6918th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Moorer surname appeared 4,849 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Moorer.

We can also compare 2010 data for Moorer 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 6918 6946 -0.40%
Count 4,849 4,451 8.56%
Proportion per 100k 1.64 1.65 -0.61%

The history of the last name Moorer

The surname "MOORER" is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period, deriving from the Old English word "mor," which means "marsh" or "fen." The name likely referred to someone who lived near or worked on a marsh or fen.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name MOORER can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it appears as "Morera." This record suggests that the name was established in England by the 13th century.

In the 14th century, the name MOORER appeared in various forms, such as "Morere," "Moriere," and "Morier," reflecting the spelling variations common during that time. These variations indicate the name's connection to marshy or fen areas.

The Domesday Book, compiled in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname MOORER. However, it does mention several place names with the root "mor," such as "Morleston" and "Morleye," which could have influenced the development of the surname.

One notable individual bearing the surname MOORER was Sir John Moorer (c. 1520-1580), an English soldier and courtier who served under King Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth I. He was knighted in 1544 for his military service.

Another historical figure with the MOORER surname was Thomas Moorer (1620-1670), an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works, including "The Great Duty of Self-Resignation to the Divine Will" (1660).

In the 18th century, Joseph Moorer (1742-1815) was a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars. He rose to the rank of Admiral and was knighted in 1805.

The surname MOORER also has connections to place names in England. For example, the village of Moorlinch in Somerset was formerly known as "Morling" or "Morlinch," which could be related to the surname's origins.

In the 19th century, John Moorer (1836-1901) was an American businessman and entrepreneur who founded the Moorer Mercantile Company in Atlanta, Georgia, which became one of the largest wholesale grocery businesses in the Southeast.

These examples illustrate the historical presence of the surname MOORER and its potential connections to marshlands, fens, and place names throughout England and beyond.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Moorer

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

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 Moorer was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 22.56% 1,094
Non-Hispanic Black Only 72.49% 3,515
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.31% 15
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.31% 15
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 2.33% 113
Hispanic Origin 2.00% 97

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

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 22.56% 25.48% -12.16%
Black 72.49% 71.69% 1.11%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.31% 0.22% 33.96%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.31% 0.34% -9.23%
Two or More Races 2.33% 1.46% 45.91%
Hispanic 2.00% 0.81% 84.70%

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

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

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"Moorer last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 21, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/moorer-surname-popularity/.

"Moorer last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/moorer-surname-popularity/. Accessed 21 November, 2024

Moorer last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/moorer-surname-popularity/.

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