2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Moraco
An Italian surname possibly derived from a nickname for someone with dark skin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Moraco. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Moraco 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.
Bearers in the US
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Moraco in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Moraco, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Moraco
The surname Moraco is of Italian origin, with its roots tracing back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated from the Italian word "moro," which means "Moor" or "dark-skinned person." This connection suggests that the name may have been given to individuals who had a darker complexion or were of Moorish descent.
The earliest records of the Moraco surname can be found in the southern regions of Italy, particularly in the areas around Naples and Campania. It is possible that the name was initially associated with families who had ties to the Moorish communities that settled in these regions during the Moorish conquest of parts of Italy in the 9th and 10th centuries.
One of the earliest documented references to the Moraco name can be found in a 13th-century manuscript from the Archivio di Stato di Napoli, which mentions a certain "Guglielmo Moraco" from the city of Naples. This record provides evidence of the name's existence and its connection to the region during that time period.
In the 14th century, the surname Moraco appears in several historical records from the Kingdom of Naples, including property deeds and legal documents. One notable individual from this era was Giovanni Moraco (1320-1387), a wealthy landowner and merchant who played a significant role in the economic life of the city of Salerno.
As the name spread across Italy, it adopted various spellings and variations, such as Moracchi, Moraccio, and Moraccini. These variations often reflected regional dialects and linguistic influences.
Throughout history, several individuals bearing the Moraco surname have made notable contributions in various fields. For instance, Pietro Moraco (1550-1612) was a prominent Renaissance painter from Naples, known for his religious works and frescoes adorning churches in the region.
Another notable figure was Vincenzo Moraco (1678-1744), a renowned architect and engineer from Calabria, who was involved in the design and construction of several iconic buildings and fortifications in southern Italy.
In the 19th century, Giuseppe Moraco (1815-1891) was a influential political figure and statesman from Sicily, who played a crucial role in the Unification of Italy and served as a senator in the newly formed Kingdom of Italy.
Additionally, the Moraco surname has been associated with various place names and locations throughout Italy, such as the town of Moraco in the province of Cosenza, Calabria, and the Moraco Valley in the province of Salerno, Campania.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Moraco
Among Census respondents with the surname Moraco, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Moraco 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 Moraco surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 108
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Moraco
Moraco 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+8 bearers (+7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,521 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-4 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,966 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.1%) | Down 1,521 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 5,966 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 Moraco 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 | #138,304 | #144,270 | -4.3% |
| Count | 121 | 117 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Moraco bearers went from 121 to 117 (-3.3% change). The surname moved down 5,966 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #144,270.
FAQ
Moraco surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Moraco?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Moraco. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Moraco?
Moraco ranks #144,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 117 people with the surname Moraco. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Moraco.
Has Moraco become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Moraco went from 121 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Moraco?
Among Census respondents with the surname Moraco, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Moraco in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Moraco appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Two or More Races (2.6%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Moraco (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 Moraco mean?
An Italian surname possibly derived from a nickname for someone with dark skin. 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 Moraco (0.04 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 Moraco?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Moraco, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.