2000
#7,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,156
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.54
Rare Last name
More
A surname derived from the Old French "maur" meaning dark-skinned, or referring to someone living near a moor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,497 Americans carry the last name More. That puts it at #6,759 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 62,353 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the More 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 More with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.5K
1 in 62,353
Census rank
#6,759
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,794 bearers of the surname More in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6759th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname More, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (17.2%) and Hispanic (13.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of More
The surname More has its origins in England and dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word 'mor', meaning a marshland or a moor. The name was initially given as a topographic surname to someone who lived near a moor or marshland.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname More can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as 'de la More'. This suggests that the name was already in use by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066. Over time, the spelling evolved from 'de la More' to 'More', reflecting the gradual transition from French to English.
During the medieval period, the surname More was particularly prevalent in the counties of Shropshire, Cheshire, and Staffordshire. It is believed that the name originated from place names such as Moor, a township in Cheshire, or Mere, a village in Shropshire. These place names were likely derived from the Old English word 'mor', further reinforcing the connection between the surname and its topographic origins.
One of the earliest and most prominent individuals with the surname More was Sir Thomas More (1478-1535), an English lawyer, scholar, and renowned Renaissance humanist. He served as Lord Chancellor of England under King Henry VIII and was canonized by the Catholic Church in 1935. Another notable figure was Hannah More (1745-1833), an English religious writer and philanthropist known for her efforts in education and social reform.
In the 17th century, Samuel More (1594-1662) was a notable English philosopher and a member of the Cambridge Platonists, a group of thinkers who sought to reconcile Christian theology with Platonic philosophy. John More (1617-1670), a Church of England clergyman, was also an influential figure during this period.
Moving into the 18th century, Hannah More's contemporary, Sir Shenton Thomas More (1770-1828), was a British naval officer who played a significant role in the Napoleonic Wars. He rose to the rank of Vice-Admiral and was knighted for his services.
The surname More continued to be prominent in various fields, including literature, politics, and academia, throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries. Notable individuals include Thomas More Musgrave (1788-1860), an English scholar and antiquarian, and Sir William More (1799-1877), an English railway engineer and entrepreneur.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for More
Among Census respondents with the surname More, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (17.2%) and Hispanic (13.2%).
The bar chart below shows how More 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 More surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White52.8% · 2,529
- Asian and Pacific Islander17.2% · 823
- Hispanic or Latino13.2% · 635
- Black or African American12.6% · 606
- Two or more races3.5% · 170
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 31
Timeline
Historical Census data for More
More 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
#7,512
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,432
+276 bearers (+6.6%)
Per 100,000 1.50
Rank movement Down 117 places
2020
#6,759
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,794
+362 bearers (+8.2%)
Per 100,000 1.60
Rank movement Up 753 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,395 | 4,156 | 1.54 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,512 | 4,432 | 1.50 | +276 bearers (+6.6%) | Down 117 places |
| 2020 | #6,759 | 4,794 | 1.60 | +362 bearers (+8.2%) | Up 753 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 More 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 | #7,512 | #6,759 | 10.0% |
| Count | 4,432 | 4,794 | 8.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.50 | 1.60 | 6.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of More bearers went from 4,432 to 4,794 (+8.2% change). The surname moved up 753 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,512 to #6,759.
FAQ
More surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname More?
Name Census estimates that about 5,497 living Americans carry the surname More. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 62,353 residents.
How common is More?
More ranks #6,759 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.60 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 4,794 people with the surname More. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,497), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.60 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 More.
Has More become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname More went from 4,432 recorded bearers to 4,794. That is an increase of 362 (+8.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,512 to #6,759.
What does the Census say about the background of More?
Among Census respondents with the surname More, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (17.2%) and Hispanic (13.2%). 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 More in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.8% (2,529 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
More appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (52.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (17.2%), Hispanic (13.2%). 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 More (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 More mean?
A surname derived from the Old French "maur" meaning dark-skinned, or referring to someone living near a moor. 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 More (1.60 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 More?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname More on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.