2000
#4,555
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,149
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.65
Rare Last name
Moorman
An English occupational surname referring to a person living or working on a moor or marsh.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,022 Americans carry the last name Moorman. That puts it at #4,888 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.34 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 42,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Moorman 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 Moorman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.0K
1 in 42,727
Census rank
#4,888
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,996 bearers of the surname Moorman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.34 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4888th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Moorman, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.0%. The next largest groups are Black (15.3%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Moorman
The surname MOORMAN is of English origin, with its roots tracing back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words "mor" meaning "marsh" or "fen" and "mann" meaning "man." Essentially, the name referred to someone who lived or worked near a marsh or marshy area.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the late 12th century, where it appears as "Mooreman" and "Moreman." This suggests that the name was initially concentrated in the northern counties of England, particularly Yorkshire and Lancashire, where marshlands were prevalent.
During the 13th century, the name began appearing in various forms, including "Morman," "Murman," and "Mureman," reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and spelling. One notable example is John Morman, a landowner from Lancashire mentioned in the Cheshire Assize Rolls of 1286.
By the 14th century, the spelling had largely settled on "Moorman," as evidenced by records such as the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1332, which mention a Richard Moorman from Yorkshire. During this period, the name also began to spread beyond its northern English stronghold, with references to individuals bearing the name in other parts of the country.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in its modern spelling can be found in the Register of the Freemen of York, which lists a William Moorman as a citizen of York in 1448.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname MOORMAN. One of the most prominent was Sir Robert Moorman (c.1535-1603), a wealthy merchant and Lord Mayor of London in 1593. Another was John Moorman (1622-1684), an English clergyman and author who wrote extensively on theological topics.
In the 18th century, John Moorman (1711-1795) was a successful industrialist and ironmaster from Yorkshire, while in the 19th century, John Moorman (1793-1846) was a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars.
More recently, John Richard Humpidge Moorman (1905-1989) was a renowned English church historian and bishop who served as the Bishop of Ripon from 1956 to 1975.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Moorman
Among Census respondents with the surname Moorman, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.0%. The next largest groups are Black (15.3%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Moorman 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 Moorman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.0% · 5,320
- Black or African American15.3% · 1,070
- Two or more races4.2% · 297
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 240
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 37
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 32
Timeline
Historical Census data for Moorman
Moorman 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
#4,780
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,399
+250 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 2.51
Rank movement Down 225 places
2020
#4,888
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,996
-403 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 2.34
Rank movement Down 108 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,555 | 7,149 | 2.65 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,780 | 7,399 | 2.51 | +250 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 225 places |
| 2020 | #4,888 | 6,996 | 2.34 | -403 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 108 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 Moorman 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 | #4,780 | #4,888 | -2.3% |
| Count | 7,399 | 6,996 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 2.51 | 2.34 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Moorman bearers went from 7,399 to 6,996 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 108 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,780 to #4,888.
FAQ
Moorman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Moorman?
Name Census estimates that about 8,022 living Americans carry the surname Moorman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 42,727 residents.
How common is Moorman?
Moorman ranks #4,888 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.34 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,996 people with the surname Moorman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,022), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.34 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.34 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Moorman.
Has Moorman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Moorman went from 7,399 recorded bearers to 6,996. That is a decrease of 403 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,780 to #4,888.
What does the Census say about the background of Moorman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Moorman, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.0%. The next largest groups are Black (15.3%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Moorman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.0% (5,320 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Moorman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.0%), Black (15.3%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Moorman (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 Moorman mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a person living or working on a moor or marsh. 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 Moorman (2.34 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 last name Moorman?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Moorman on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.