2000
#112,967
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 144
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Morat
A habitational surname derived from a place name in Burgundy, France.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Morat. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Morat 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Morat in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Morat, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.6%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Morat
The surname Morat is of French origin, originating in the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "morer," which means "to dwell" or "to reside." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived in a particular place or region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Morat can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of land ownership and taxation in England compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. In the book, there is a mention of a person named Radulf de Morat, who was a landowner in Hertfordshire.
During the 13th century, the name Morat appeared in various historical documents in France, particularly in the regions of Normandy and Brittany. There are records of individuals with the surname Morat holding positions of prominence, such as nobles and landowners.
In the 14th century, a notable figure bearing the name Morat was Jean Morat, a French military commander who fought in the Hundred Years' War against the English. He was born in 1320 and died in 1382. Another prominent individual was Pierre Morat, a French philosopher and theologian who lived from 1355 to 1415.
The name Morat has also been associated with several place names throughout history. For instance, the town of Morat in Switzerland was once known as Murten, which may have influenced the spelling of the surname in certain regions.
Other notable individuals with the surname Morat include:
1. Philippe Morat (1510-1572), a French Catholic theologian and writer.
2. Jacques Morat (1625-1694), a French Baroque painter and engraver.
3. Marie-Madeleine Morat (1718-1788), a French nun and educator.
4. Louis Morat (1768-1837), a French Revolutionary soldier and politician.
5. Henri Morat (1856-1923), a French sculptor and artist.
While the surname Morat may have evolved and taken on different spellings over time, its origins can be traced back to the medieval period in France, where it was likely derived from the Old French word "morer," indicating a connection to a specific place or dwelling.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Morat
Among Census respondents with the surname Morat, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.6%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Morat 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 Morat surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.6% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino11.6% · 14
- Two or more races3.3% · 4
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Morat
Morat 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
#134,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
-19 bearers (-13.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 21,745 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-4 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,597 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #112,967 | 144 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #134,712 | 125 | 0.04 | -19 bearers (-13.2%) | Down 21,745 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.2%) | Down 6,597 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 Morat 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 | #134,712 | #141,309 | -4.9% |
| Count | 125 | 121 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Morat bearers went from 125 to 121 (-3.2% change). The surname moved down 6,597 positions in the national ranking, going from #134,712 to #141,309.
FAQ
Morat surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Morat?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Morat. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Morat?
Morat ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Morat. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Morat.
Has Morat become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Morat went from 125 recorded bearers to 121. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #134,712 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Morat?
Among Census respondents with the surname Morat, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.6%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Morat in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.6% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Morat appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.6%), Hispanic (11.6%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Morat (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 Morat mean?
A habitational surname derived from a place name in Burgundy, France. 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 Morat (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 common is the surname Morat?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Morat at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.