2000
#90
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 217,642
First available Census row
Per 100,000 80.68
Common Last name
Morales
Derived from the Spanish word "moral," referring to a mulberry tree, likely indicating someone who lived near such trees.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 356,478 Americans carry the last name Morales. That puts it at #62 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 104.00 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 962 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Morales 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 Morales with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
356K
1 in 962
Census rank
#62
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
104.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
311K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 310,866 bearers of the surname Morales in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 104.00 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 62nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Morales, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.4%. The next largest groups are White (5.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Morales
The surname Morales is of Spanish origin, deriving from the Latin word "moralis" which means moral or ethical. It first emerged in the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages.
The name Morales is believed to have originated as a descriptive surname, referring to individuals who were perceived as virtuous or morally upright. It may have been given to individuals who held respected positions within the church or those known for their ethical conduct.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Morales can be found in medieval Spanish records and documents from the 13th and 14th centuries. During this period, the Reconquista, the effort to reclaim Iberian territories from Moorish rule, was ongoing, and many individuals played significant roles in this historical event, potentially contributing to the widespread adoption of the surname.
One notable early bearer of the Morales surname was Pedro Morales, a 14th-century Spanish nobleman and military commander who fought in the service of King Alfonso XI of Castile during the Reconquista. His exploits were chronicled in historical accounts of the time.
Another prominent figure was Juan Morales, a 15th-century Spanish explorer and navigator who accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the Americas in 1493. Morales played a crucial role in the early exploration and colonization of the Caribbean islands.
In the 16th century, the Morales name gained further prominence with the birth of Ambrosio Morales (1513-1591), a renowned Spanish historian and scholar who served as the official chronicler of King Philip II. His works, which included detailed accounts of Spanish history, were highly influential in his time.
During the 17th century, the surname Morales was associated with Francisco Morales Cabrera (1637-1708), a Spanish military officer and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of the Philippine Islands from 1677 to 1681.
Another notable figure was María Morales (1635-1706), a revered Spanish nun and mystic who founded the Order of the Immaculate Conception in Quito, Ecuador. She was beatified by the Catholic Church in 1853.
As the Spanish empire expanded across the Americas and other parts of the world, the Morales surname spread to various regions, including Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean islands. Today, it remains a prevalent surname in many Spanish-speaking countries and among Hispanic communities worldwide.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Morales
Among Census respondents with the surname Morales, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.4%. The next largest groups are White (5.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Morales 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 Morales surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino92.4% · 287,329
- White5.0% · 15,594
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 4,302
- Black or African American0.6% · 1,892
- Two or more races0.3% · 1,061
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 688
Timeline
Historical Census data for Morales
Morales 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
#63
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 311,777
+94,135 bearers (+43.3%)
Per 100,000 105.69
Rank movement Up 27 places
2020
#62
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 310,866
-911 bearers (-0.3%)
Per 100,000 104.00
Rank movement Up 1 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #90 | 217,642 | 80.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #63 | 311,777 | 105.69 | +94,135 bearers (+43.3%) | Up 27 places |
| 2020 | #62 | 310,866 | 104.00 | -911 bearers (-0.3%) | Up 1 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 Morales 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 | #63 | #62 | 1.6% |
| Count | 311,777 | 310,866 | -0.3% |
| Per 100K | 105.69 | 104.00 | -1.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Morales bearers went from 311,777 to 310,866 (-0.3% change). The surname moved up 1 positions in the national ranking, going from #63 to #62.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Morales
FAQ
Morales surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Morales?
Name Census estimates that about 356,478 living Americans carry the surname Morales. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 962 residents.
How common is Morales?
Morales ranks #62 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 104.00 per 100,000 residents, which is about 104 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 310,866 people with the surname Morales. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (356,478), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 104 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 104.00 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 104 of them to have the surname Morales.
Has Morales become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Morales went from 311,777 recorded bearers to 310,866. That is a decrease of 911 (-0.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #63 to #62.
What does the Census say about the background of Morales?
Among Census respondents with the surname Morales, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.4%. The next largest groups are White (5.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.4%). 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 Morales in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (287,329 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Morales appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (92.4%), White (5.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.4%). 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 Morales (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 Morales mean?
Derived from the Spanish word "moral," referring to a mulberry tree, likely indicating someone who lived near such trees. 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 Morales (104.00 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 are called Morales?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Morales at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.