Find out how popular the last name Morehead is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Morehead.

Morehead, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Morehead surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Morehead in America

Morehead is the 4636th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Morehead surname appeared 7,653 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Morehead.

We can also compare 2010 data for Morehead to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Morehead

The surname Morehead is of English origin, with roots dating back to the medieval era. It is a locational surname derived from a place name, specifically the village of Moorhead or Morehead in Yorkshire, England. The name is believed to have originated from the Old English words "mor" meaning "moor" or "marsh" and "heafod" meaning "head" or "promontory."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Morehead surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings and population in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appeared as "Morheved," referring to a landowner or tenant in the village of Morehead.

During the 13th century, various spellings of the name emerged, including Morehede, Moorhead, and Morhed. These variations reflect the evolution of the English language and regional dialects over time.

In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the Morehead surname was John Morehead (c. 1520 - 1592), a prominent English merchant and Member of Parliament for the borough of Callington in Cornwall.

Another historical figure was Robert Morehead (1738 - 1824), a Scottish-born American patriot and politician who served as a delegate to the Continental Congress during the American Revolutionary War.

James Morehead (1789 - 1868) was a notable American politician and lawyer who served as the 12th Governor of Kentucky from 1834 to 1836.

In the realm of literature, John Moreheadius (1570 - 1632), also known as John Morehead, was an English theologian and author who wrote several religious works in Latin.

Sir Charles Morehead (1807 - 1882) was a British colonial administrator who served as the Lieutenant-Governor of the North-Western Provinces in British India from 1857 to 1859.

These examples illustrate the widespread presence of the Morehead surname across different fields and regions throughout history, reflecting its enduring legacy as a surname of English origin.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Morehead

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Morehead.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Morehead was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Morehead has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Morehead was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Morehead, please contact us.

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