2000
#5,112
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,298
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.33
Rare Last name
Morehouse
A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a moorland or marsh house.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,041 Americans carry the last name Morehouse. That puts it at #5,472 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 48,680 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Morehouse 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 Morehouse with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.0K
1 in 48,680
Census rank
#5,472
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,140 bearers of the surname Morehouse in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5472nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Morehouse, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Black (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Morehouse
The surname MOREHOUSE originated in England during the late medieval period, deriving from a combination of the Old English words "mor" meaning "marsh" and "hus" meaning "house." It was initially a descriptive name, referring to individuals who lived in a house situated near or within a marshy area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname MOREHOUSE can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Moreshuse" in the county of Essex. This historic document suggests that the name was well-established in certain regions of England by the late 11th century.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, variations of the surname, such as "Morhous," "Morehous," and "Morhouse," were documented in various records, including parish registers and tax rolls. These variations reflect the evolution of spelling practices over time and regional linguistic differences.
Notably, the MOREHOUSE surname has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One such figure was Sir Thomas Morehouse (c. 1557-1629), an English politician and courtier who served as a member of parliament and held influential positions under King James I.
Another prominent bearer of the name was John Morehouse (1599-1676), an English clergyman and author who served as the vicar of Piddletrenthide in Dorset and published several religious works during his lifetime.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the MOREHOUSE surname can be found in the colony of Virginia, where John Morehouse (c. 1630-1699) was a prominent landowner and served as a justice of the peace in Northampton County.
During the Revolutionary War era, Ezra Morehouse (1731-1808) was a notable figure, serving as a captain in the Connecticut militia and participating in several battles against British forces.
Another noteworthy bearer of the MOREHOUSE surname was Randolph Morehouse (1867-1932), an American lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly and later as a judge on the Milwaukee County Circuit Court.
While the MOREHOUSE surname has undergone various spelling variations over the centuries, its origins can be traced back to the descriptive naming practices of medieval England, reflecting the geographic and linguistic diversity of the regions where it first emerged.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Morehouse
Among Census respondents with the surname Morehouse, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Black (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Morehouse 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 Morehouse surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.3% · 5,485
- Two or more races4.0% · 246
- Black or African American3.3% · 204
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 135
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 41
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 29
Timeline
Historical Census data for Morehouse
Morehouse 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
#5,513
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,309
+11 bearers (+0.2%)
Per 100,000 2.14
Rank movement Down 401 places
2020
#5,472
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,140
-169 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 2.05
Rank movement Up 41 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,112 | 6,298 | 2.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,513 | 6,309 | 2.14 | +11 bearers (+0.2%) | Down 401 places |
| 2020 | #5,472 | 6,140 | 2.05 | -169 bearers (-2.7%) | Up 41 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 Morehouse 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 | #5,513 | #5,472 | 0.7% |
| Count | 6,309 | 6,140 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.14 | 2.05 | -4.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Morehouse bearers went from 6,309 to 6,140 (-2.7% change). The surname moved up 41 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,513 to #5,472.
FAQ
Morehouse surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Morehouse?
Name Census estimates that about 7,041 living Americans carry the surname Morehouse. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 48,680 residents.
How common is Morehouse?
Morehouse ranks #5,472 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.05 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 6,140 people with the surname Morehouse. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,041), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.05 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 Morehouse.
Has Morehouse become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Morehouse went from 6,309 recorded bearers to 6,140. That is a decrease of 169 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,513 to #5,472.
What does the Census say about the background of Morehouse?
Among Census respondents with the surname Morehouse, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Black (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 Morehouse in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.3% (5,485 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Morehouse appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.3%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Black (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 Morehouse (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 Morehouse mean?
A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a moorland or marsh house. 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 Morehouse (2.05 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 Morehouse?
You can see how many people have the last name Morehouse on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.