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

Morel, 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 Morel surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Morel in America

Morel is the 4399th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Morel surname appeared 8,085 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 Morel.

We can also compare 2010 data for Morel 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 Morel

The surname MOREL is of French origin, and it can be traced back to the early medieval period in France. The name is believed to have derived from the Old French word "morel," which means "little dark one" or "swarthy one." This might have been a reference to the person's physical appearance or complexion.

MOREL is also believed to be a locational surname, referring to people who came from a place named Morel or Morelle. There are several villages and towns in France called Morel or Morelle, located in regions such as Normandy, Burgundy, and Île-de-France.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname MOREL can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landowners and property in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears as "Morel," indicating that it had already become established as a surname by that time.

In the 13th century, a notable figure named Pierre Morel (c. 1200-1265) was a French architect and master builder who worked on several important Gothic cathedrals, including the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris.

Another notable person with the surname MOREL was André Morellet (1727-1819), a French writer, philosopher, and economist who was a member of the French Academy and a prominent figure during the Enlightenment period.

In the 19th century, Frédéric Morel (1823-1891) was a French botanist and mycologist who made significant contributions to the study of fungi. He is known for his work on the classification and identification of various mushroom species.

Claude Morel (c. 1570-1638) was a French printer and publisher who established the famous Morel Printing House in Paris. He is renowned for producing high-quality editions of classical Greek and Latin texts.

Another notable figure is Marie-Louise Morel (1786-1856), a French painter and miniaturist who was renowned for her portrait miniatures and was appointed as a court painter to the French royal family.

While the surname MOREL is of French origin, it has spread to other parts of the world through migration and is now found in various countries, including the United States, Canada, and other parts of Europe.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Morel

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

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 Morel 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 Morel 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 Morel was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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