2000
#14,457
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,893
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.70
Rare Last name
Moraga
A Basque toponymic surname referring to someone from any of the places called Moraga in the Basque Country.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,287 Americans carry the last name Moraga. That puts it at #14,424 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 149,871 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Moraga 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
2.3K
1 in 149,871
Census rank
#14,424
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,994 bearers of the surname Moraga in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14424th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Moraga, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 81.2%. The next largest groups are White (9.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (7.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Moraga
The surname Moraga has its origins in Spain, with the first recorded instances dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Arabic word "murahha," meaning "pleasant place" or "resting place." This suggests that the name may have originated from a place name, likely referring to a location that was considered a desirable or peaceful area.
The earliest known mention of the Moraga surname can be found in documents from the region of Andalusia, which was under Moorish rule during the medieval period. Records from this time indicate that the name was particularly prevalent in the areas around the cities of Seville and Cordoba.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the Moraga surname was Don Pedro de Moraga, a prominent landowner and military leader who lived in the 13th century. He played a significant role in the Reconquista, the Christian reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors.
During the 15th and 16th centuries, the Moraga family gained prominence in the region of Galicia, located in northwestern Spain. Notable figures from this period include Alonso de Moraga, a renowned poet and scholar born in 1472, and Fernán de Moraga, a celebrated explorer and navigator who accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expeditions to the Americas in the early 16th century.
In the 18th century, a branch of the Moraga family migrated to the New World, settling in what is now California. One of the most notable figures from this period was José Joaquín Moraga, a Spanish military officer born in 1735. He played a crucial role in the exploration and colonization of Alta California, founding several missions and presidios, including the Presidio of San Francisco.
Another prominent individual was Joaquín Isidro Moraga, born in 1745, who served as the Lieutenant Governor of Alta California from 1784 to 1792. He was instrumental in the establishment of several missions and pueblos, including the Pueblo de Los Ángeles.
The Moraga surname has also been associated with various place names throughout history. For example, the town of Moraga in Contra Costa County, California, was named after the Moraga family, who owned a large land grant in the area. Additionally, there are several geographic features bearing the name, such as the Moraga Canyon and the Moraga Fault, reflecting the family's significant presence in the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Moraga
Among Census respondents with the surname Moraga, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 81.2%. The next largest groups are White (9.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (7.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Moraga 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 Moraga surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino81.2% · 1,619
- White9.9% · 198
- Asian and Pacific Islander7.0% · 140
- Two or more races0.8% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 11
- Black or African American0.5% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Moraga
Moraga 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
#13,186
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,318
+425 bearers (+22.5%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Up 1,271 places
2020
#14,424
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,994
-324 bearers (-14.0%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Down 1,238 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,457 | 1,893 | 0.70 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,186 | 2,318 | 0.79 | +425 bearers (+22.5%) | Up 1,271 places |
| 2020 | #14,424 | 1,994 | 0.67 | -324 bearers (-14.0%) | Down 1,238 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 Moraga 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 | #13,186 | #14,424 | -9.4% |
| Count | 2,318 | 1,994 | -14.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.79 | 0.67 | -15.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Moraga bearers went from 2,318 to 1,994 (-14.0% change). The surname moved down 1,238 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,186 to #14,424.
FAQ
Moraga surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Moraga?
Name Census estimates that about 2,287 living Americans carry the surname Moraga. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 149,871 residents.
How common is Moraga?
Moraga ranks #14,424 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.67 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 1,994 people with the surname Moraga. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,287), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.67 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 Moraga.
Has Moraga become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Moraga went from 2,318 recorded bearers to 1,994. That is a decrease of 324 (-14.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,186 to #14,424.
What does the Census say about the background of Moraga?
Among Census respondents with the surname Moraga, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 81.2%. The next largest groups are White (9.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (7.0%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Moraga in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.2% (1,619 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Moraga appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (81.2%), White (9.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (7.0%). 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 Moraga (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 Moraga mean?
A Basque toponymic surname referring to someone from any of the places called Moraga in the Basque Country. 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 Moraga (0.67 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 common is the surname Moraga?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Moraga on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.