2000
#1,921
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,173
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.37
Uncommon Last name
Moreland
A locational surname referring to someone from a moor or bog, or a place called Moreland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 19,551 Americans carry the last name Moreland. That puts it at #2,067 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 17,531 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Moreland 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 Moreland with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
20K
1 in 17,531
Census rank
#2,067
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
17K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 17,049 bearers of the surname Moreland in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2067th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Moreland, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.4%. The next largest groups are Black (19.5%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Moreland
The surname Moreland originates from England, first appearing in the 13th century. It is a locational name derived from the Old English words 'mor' meaning 'moor' or 'marsh' and 'land' meaning 'land'. The name was initially given to someone who lived on or near a marshy area or moorland.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1273, where it appears as 'Morland'. The Hundred Rolls of 1275 also mention a 'John de Morland' in Oxfordshire. These early records indicate the name's widespread use across various parts of England.
The Domesday Book, compiled in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname Moreland. However, it does list several place names that may have contributed to the formation of the surname, such as 'Morelande' in Worcestershire and 'Morland' in Westmorland (now part of Cumbria).
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname Moreland was Sir Samuel Moreland (1625-1695), an English mathematician, inventor, and diplomat. He was notable for his work on hydraulics and for inventing a fire extinguishing system.
Another notable figure with this surname was George Moreland (1763-1804), an English painter renowned for his rural scenes and depictions of everyday life in the late 18th century.
The surname Moreland has also been associated with several places, including the village of Moreland in Gloucestershire, and Morland in Cumbria, both of which likely contributed to the development of the surname.
Other notable individuals with the surname Moreland include John Moreland (c.1570-1619), an English composer and organist, and Thomas Moreland (1702-1784), an English clergyman and author.
Throughout its history, the surname Moreland has been subject to various spelling variations, such as Morland, Moorland, and Morlande, reflecting the regional dialects and linguistic changes over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Moreland
Among Census respondents with the surname Moreland, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.4%. The next largest groups are Black (19.5%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Moreland 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 Moreland surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.4% · 12,178
- Black or African American19.5% · 3,330
- Two or more races4.5% · 775
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 562
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 117
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 87
Timeline
Historical Census data for Moreland
Moreland 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
#2,023
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,832
+659 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 6.05
Rank movement Down 102 places
2020
#2,067
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,049
-783 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 5.70
Rank movement Down 44 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,921 | 17,173 | 6.37 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,023 | 17,832 | 6.05 | +659 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 102 places |
| 2020 | #2,067 | 17,049 | 5.70 | -783 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 44 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 Moreland 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 | #2,023 | #2,067 | -2.2% |
| Count | 17,832 | 17,049 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 6.05 | 5.70 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Moreland bearers went from 17,832 to 17,049 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 44 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,023 to #2,067.
FAQ
Moreland surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Moreland?
Name Census estimates that about 19,551 living Americans carry the surname Moreland. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 17,531 residents.
How common is Moreland?
Moreland ranks #2,067 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.70 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 17,049 people with the surname Moreland. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (19,551), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.70 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Moreland.
Has Moreland become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Moreland went from 17,832 recorded bearers to 17,049. That is a decrease of 783 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,023 to #2,067.
What does the Census say about the background of Moreland?
Among Census respondents with the surname Moreland, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.4%. The next largest groups are Black (19.5%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Moreland in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.4% (12,178 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Moreland appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.4%), Black (19.5%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Moreland (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 Moreland mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from a moor or bog, or a place called Moreland. 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 Moreland (5.70 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 surname Moreland?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.