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

Moreles, 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 Moreles surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Moreles in America

Moreles is the 50196th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Moreles surname appeared 417 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Moreles.

We can also compare 2010 data for Moreles 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 Moreles

The surname Moreles is of Spanish origin, with roots dating back to the 8th century. It is derived from the Latin word "morus," meaning mulberry tree, and likely originated as a descriptive surname for someone who lived near or worked with mulberry trees. The earliest known records of the name come from the region of Castile in central Spain.

During the Reconquista, the period of Christian conquest over the Moors in the Iberian Peninsula from the 8th to the 15th centuries, the name Moreles is found in various military records and charters. One notable example is a certain Juan Moreles, a soldier who fought alongside King Ferdinand III of Castile in the capture of Cordoba in 1236.

In the 14th century, the Moreles family established themselves as landed gentry in the town of Morales de Toro, located in the province of Zamora, Castile and León. This place name likely contributed to the evolution and standardization of the surname's spelling.

The earliest recorded instance of the Moreles surname is found in the Libro de las Behetrías, a medieval census of landowners in the Kingdom of Castile, compiled in 1352. This document lists several individuals with the surname Moreles, including Pedro Moreles, a landowner in the town of Villaverde.

As the Spanish Empire expanded in the 16th and 17th centuries, the Moreles name spread to the Americas and other Spanish territories. One notable figure was Diego de Moreles, a conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico in 1519.

Other historical figures with the Moreles surname include:

1. Juan Moreles y Guzmán (1597-1664), a Spanish cleric and writer who served as the Bishop of Guatemala.
2. Cristóbal Moreles (1619-1682), a Mexican composer and organist, considered one of the most influential figures in the development of the colonial Mexican baroque music tradition.
3. María Francisca Moreles (1669-1747), a Spanish nun and writer known for her poetry and religious works.
4. Antonio Moreles y Pavón (1777-1837), a Mexican botanist and explorer who conducted extensive research on the flora of Mexico and Central America.
5. Mariano Moreles (1865-1917), a Mexican revolutionary and military leader who played a significant role in the Mexican Revolution.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Moreles

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

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

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

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