2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Morber
A variant spelling of the surname 'Morber' likely referring to moorland or marshy regions.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 111 Americans carry the last name Morber. That puts it at #156,449 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,087,877 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Morber 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
111
1 in 3,087,877
Census rank
#156,449
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
97
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 97 bearers of the surname Morber in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156449th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Morber, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Morber
The surname MORBER has its origins in medieval Germany, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from an occupation or trade name, potentially related to the Old German word "morbere," which referred to a maker or seller of mulberries.
During the Middle Ages, MORBER families were likely concentrated in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony, where mulberry trees were cultivated for silk production. Records from this era are scarce, but some of the earliest known mentions of the name can be found in local church registers and tax rolls.
One notable historical reference comes from the Annals of Augsburg, a medieval chronicle written by the Benedictine monks of St. Ulrich's monastery in Augsburg, Germany. In an entry dated 1247, a certain "Heinrich Morber" is mentioned as a respected citizen and merchant in the city.
By the 14th century, the name had spread to other parts of Germany and neighboring regions. In 1379, a "Johannes Morber" was recorded as a landowner in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a well-preserved medieval city in modern-day Bavaria.
The earliest known bearer of the MORBER name was likely Hans Morber, born around 1420 in the village of Grünwald, near Munich. He was a respected farmer and vintner, and his descendants continued to work in agriculture for several generations.
Another prominent MORBER was Johann Morber, a renowned clockmaker born in Nuremberg in 1587. His intricate timepieces were highly sought after by the nobility and can still be found in museums across Europe.
During the 17th century, members of the MORBER family began to migrate to other parts of Europe and beyond. In 1642, a "Peter Morber" was recorded as one of the first German settlers in the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam, which later became New York City.
As the name spread, variations in spelling emerged, such as Morber, Mörber, and Moerber. However, the core meaning and pronunciation remained largely intact.
Throughout its long history, the MORBER name has been associated with a diverse range of occupations and achievements, from craftsmen and merchants to scholars and artists. Notable bearers include the 19th-century German painter Wilhelm Morber (1833-1912) and the Austrian writer and poet Hans Morber (1903-1977).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Morber
Among Census respondents with the surname Morber, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Morber 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 Morber surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.8% · 91
- Two or more races3.1% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Morber
Morber 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
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+4 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,303 places
2020
#156,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 97
-21 bearers (-17.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 15,309 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 5,303 places |
| 2020 | #156,449 | 97 | 0.03 | -21 bearers (-17.8%) | Down 15,309 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 Morber 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 | #141,140 | #156,449 | -10.8% |
| Count | 118 | 97 | -17.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -18.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Morber bearers went from 118 to 97 (-17.8% change). The surname moved down 15,309 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #156,449.
FAQ
Morber surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Morber?
Name Census estimates that about 111 living Americans carry the surname Morber. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,087,877 residents.
How common is Morber?
Morber ranks #156,449 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 97 people with the surname Morber. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (111), 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 Morber.
Has Morber become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Morber went from 118 recorded bearers to 97. That is a decrease of 21 (-17.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #156,449.
What does the Census say about the background of Morber?
Among Census respondents with the surname Morber, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Morber in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.8% (91 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Morber appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.8%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Morber (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 Morber mean?
A variant spelling of the surname 'Morber' likely referring to moorland or marshy regions. 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 Morber (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 many people have the last name Morber?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Morber? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.