2000
#7,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,378
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.62
Rare Last name
Moralez
A Spanish toponymic surname derived from any of numerous places named Moral or Morales, meaning "mulberry tree."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,166 Americans carry the last name Moralez. That puts it at #7,144 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.51 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 66,348 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Moralez 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
5.2K
1 in 66,348
Census rank
#7,144
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,505 bearers of the surname Moralez in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.51 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7144th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Moralez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.4%. The next largest groups are White (7.5%) and Two or More Races (0.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Moralez
The surname Moralez is of Spanish origin, and it can be traced back to the medieval period in Spain. The name is believed to be derived from the Spanish word "moral," which means "moral" or "ethical." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who was known for their upright character or moral behavior.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Moralez can be found in the "Becerro de la Beltraneja," a historical document from the 15th century that recorded the names of noble families in Spain. In this document, there is a reference to a family with the surname Moralez from the region of Castile.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Moralez name began to spread across Spanish territories, including the Americas. One notable individual bearing this surname was Diego Moralez (1528-1598), a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Peru under Francisco Pizarro.
In the 18th century, the Moralez name appeared in various records related to the Spanish colonization of the Americas. For example, Juan Moralez (1712-1778) was a Spanish soldier and explorer who led expeditions in what is now California and the southwestern United States.
As the Spanish empire expanded, the Moralez surname continued to spread across different regions. In the 19th century, notable individuals with this surname included Manuel Moralez (1823-1897), a Venezuelan politician and military leader who played a significant role in the country's independence movement.
Another important figure in the history of the Moralez name was María Moralez (1876-1942), a Mexican educator and feminist who advocated for women's rights and educational reforms in her country.
In more recent times, the surname Moralez has been associated with various individuals from different fields. For instance, Antonio Moralez (1914-1997) was a renowned Spanish painter and sculptor, known for his abstract and surrealist works. Additionally, Javier Moralez (born 1959) is a prominent Spanish writer and journalist who has published several novels and non-fiction books.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Moralez
Among Census respondents with the surname Moralez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.4%. The next largest groups are White (7.5%) and Two or More Races (0.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Moralez 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 Moralez surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino90.4% · 4,073
- White7.5% · 338
- Two or more races0.7% · 32
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 26
- Black or African American0.5% · 22
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Moralez
Moralez 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
#6,613
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,120
+742 bearers (+16.9%)
Per 100,000 1.74
Rank movement Up 435 places
2020
#7,144
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,505
-615 bearers (-12.0%)
Per 100,000 1.51
Rank movement Down 531 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,048 | 4,378 | 1.62 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,613 | 5,120 | 1.74 | +742 bearers (+16.9%) | Up 435 places |
| 2020 | #7,144 | 4,505 | 1.51 | -615 bearers (-12.0%) | Down 531 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 Moralez 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 | #6,613 | #7,144 | -8.0% |
| Count | 5,120 | 4,505 | -12.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.74 | 1.51 | -13.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Moralez bearers went from 5,120 to 4,505 (-12.0% change). The surname moved down 531 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,613 to #7,144.
FAQ
Moralez surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Moralez?
Name Census estimates that about 5,166 living Americans carry the surname Moralez. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 66,348 residents.
How common is Moralez?
Moralez ranks #7,144 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.51 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 4,505 people with the surname Moralez. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,166), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.51 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.51 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 Moralez.
Has Moralez become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Moralez went from 5,120 recorded bearers to 4,505. That is a decrease of 615 (-12.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,613 to #7,144.
What does the Census say about the background of Moralez?
Among Census respondents with the surname Moralez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.4%. The next largest groups are White (7.5%) and Two or More Races (0.7%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Moralez in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.4% (4,073 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Moralez appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (90.4%), White (7.5%), Two or More Races (0.7%). 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 Moralez (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 Moralez mean?
A Spanish toponymic surname derived from any of numerous places named Moral or Morales, meaning "mulberry tree." 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 Moralez (1.51 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 Americans have the surname Moralez?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.