2000
#14,671
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,858
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.69
Rare Last name
Moos
A topographic name for someone living on a moor or marshy area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,127 Americans carry the last name Moos. That puts it at #15,231 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 161,144 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Moos 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 Moos with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 161,144
Census rank
#15,231
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,855 bearers of the surname Moos in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15231st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Moos, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Moos
The surname MOOS has its origins in Germany, emerging around the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "mos," which referred to a swampy or marshy area. This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive term for people who lived near or worked in such environments.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name MOOS can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of medieval documents from Saxony, dated around 1200 AD. The name is also mentioned in the Hanserecesse, a compilation of records from the Hanseatic League, a powerful medieval trading confederation based in northern Germany.
In the 14th century, the name MOOS appeared in various forms, such as Moß, Moess, and Moss, reflecting regional variations in spelling and pronunciation. The earliest known bearer of the name was Johannes Moos, a landowner from the town of Hildesheim in Lower Saxony, recorded in 1375.
The MOOS name has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One such figure was Johann Matthias Moos (1683-1752), a German jurist and professor of law at the University of Tübingen. Another prominent bearer was Johann Baptist von Moos (1772-1849), an Austrian military officer who served as a general during the Napoleonic Wars.
In the realm of arts and culture, the name MOOS has been carried by several notable figures. Johann Moos (1899-1972) was a German painter and graphic artist known for his expressionist works. Karl Friedrich Moos (1863-1911) was a Swiss painter and illustrator, renowned for his landscapes and alpine scenes.
The MOOS surname has also been associated with notable scientists and academics. Ernst Moos (1877-1962) was a German physicist and professor who made significant contributions to the study of electrical discharges in gases. Carl Moos (1878-1959) was an Austrian ophthalmologist known for his research on eye diseases and the development of new diagnostic techniques.
While the MOOS name has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of Europe and beyond, carried by emigrants and descendants of the original bearers. The name continues to be prevalent in various spellings, reflecting its rich historical legacy and geographical dispersion.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Moos
Among Census respondents with the surname Moos, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Moos 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 Moos surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.5% · 1,679
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 86
- Two or more races2.9% · 53
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 17
- Black or African American0.9% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Moos
Moos 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
#15,955
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,821
-37 bearers (-2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Down 1,284 places
2020
#15,231
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,855
+34 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Up 724 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,671 | 1,858 | 0.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,955 | 1,821 | 0.62 | -37 bearers (-2.0%) | Down 1,284 places |
| 2020 | #15,231 | 1,855 | 0.62 | +34 bearers (+1.9%) | Up 724 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 Moos 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 | #15,955 | #15,231 | 4.5% |
| Count | 1,821 | 1,855 | 1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.62 | 0.62 | 0.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Moos bearers went from 1,821 to 1,855 (+1.9% change). The surname moved up 724 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,955 to #15,231.
FAQ
Moos surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Moos?
Name Census estimates that about 2,127 living Americans carry the surname Moos. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 161,144 residents.
How common is Moos?
Moos ranks #15,231 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 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 1,855 people with the surname Moos. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,127), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 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 Moos.
Has Moos become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Moos went from 1,821 recorded bearers to 1,855. That is an increase of 34 (+1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,955 to #15,231.
What does the Census say about the background of Moos?
Among Census respondents with the surname Moos, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Moos in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.5% (1,679 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Moos appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.5%), Hispanic (4.6%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Moos (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 Moos mean?
A topographic name for someone living on a moor or marshy area. 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 Moos (0.62 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 Moos?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.