2010
#131,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Moratalla
A Spanish toponymic surname derived from the town of Moratalla in Murcia.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Moratalla. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Moratalla 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Moratalla in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Moratalla, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 82.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (11.8%) and White (5.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Moratalla
The surname Moratalla originates from Spain and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is derived from the place name "Moratalla," a town located in the Murcia region of southeastern Spain. The town's name likely comes from the Latin words "mora" (mulberry tree) and "tala" (grove or plantation), suggesting that the area was once known for its mulberry groves.
In the early 14th century, the Moratalla surname appears in official records and documents from the Kingdom of Murcia. One of the earliest known references is in the "Libro de Repartimiento de Murcia," a document that recorded the distribution of land and property after the Christian conquest of the region in the 13th century.
During the 15th century, the Moratalla family played a significant role in the political and social life of the town of Moratalla. Juan de Moratalla (1430-1492) was a prominent landowner and local official who served as the town's mayor. His son, Diego de Moratalla (1460-1528), was a renowned scholar and theologian who wrote extensively on religious topics.
In the 16th century, the surname spread beyond the town of Moratalla as members of the family migrated to other parts of Spain and the Spanish colonies in the Americas. One notable figure was Pedro de Moratalla (1520-1588), a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Chile and served as a lieutenant under Pedro de Valdivia.
Another influential member of the Moratalla family was Francisca de Moratalla (1550-1620), a prominent writer and poet who was part of the literary circle in Seville during the Spanish Golden Age. Her works, which included poetry and religious texts, were widely read and praised by her contemporaries.
In the 18th century, Manuel de Moratalla (1690-1768) was a renowned architect who designed several notable buildings in Madrid, including the Royal Palace of Aranjuez and the Church of San Ginés.
As the Moratalla surname spread throughout Spain and its colonies, variations in spelling emerged, such as Moratalaz and Moratallaz. However, the original form, Moratalla, remained the most common and widely used.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Moratalla
Among Census respondents with the surname Moratalla, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 82.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (11.8%) and White (5.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Moratalla 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 Moratalla surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino82.4% · 84
- Asian and Pacific Islander11.8% · 12
- White5.9% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Moratalla
Moratalla appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-27 bearers (-20.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 23,376 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #131,379 | 129 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -27 bearers (-20.9%) | Down 23,376 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 Moratalla 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 | #131,379 | #154,755 | -17.8% |
| Count | 129 | 102 | -20.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Moratalla bearers went from 129 to 102 (-20.9% change). The surname moved down 23,376 positions in the national ranking, going from #131,379 to #154,755.
FAQ
Moratalla surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Moratalla?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Moratalla. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Moratalla?
Moratalla ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 102 people with the surname Moratalla. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Moratalla.
Has Moratalla become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Moratalla went from 129 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 27 (-20.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #131,379 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Moratalla?
Among Census respondents with the surname Moratalla, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 82.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (11.8%) and White (5.9%). 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 Moratalla in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.4% (84 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Moratalla appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (82.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (11.8%), White (5.9%). 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 Moratalla (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 Moratalla mean?
A Spanish toponymic surname derived from the town of Moratalla in Murcia. 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 Moratalla (0.03 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 Moratalla?
You can see how many people have the surname Moratalla on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.