2000
#16,092
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,654
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.61
Rare Last name
Morelos
A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone from any of several places called Morelos, meaning "blackberry grove."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,006 Americans carry the last name Morelos. That puts it at #11,489 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 114,023 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Morelos 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.
Bearers in the US
3.0K
1 in 114,023
Census rank
#11,489
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,621 bearers of the surname Morelos in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11489th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Morelos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (5.2%) and White (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Morelos
The surname Morelos is of Mexican origin, derived from the Spanish word "moreral" which means "mulberry tree grove." It originated in the central Mexican state of Michoacán, particularly in the region surrounding the town of Morelia, formerly known as Valladolid.
During the Spanish colonial period, surnames were often adopted or assigned based on occupations, geographic locations, or physical features. Morelos likely referred to individuals who lived near or tended to mulberry tree groves, which were important for the production of silk in that region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Morelos can be found in the records of the Morelia Cathedral, where a baptismal entry from 1598 mentions a child named Juan Morelos.
In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, José María Morelos y Pavón (1765-1815) became a prominent figure in the Mexican War of Independence. A Catholic priest and revolutionary leader, he fought alongside Miguel Hidalgo and played a crucial role in the struggle against Spanish colonial rule.
Another notable individual with the Morelos surname was Pablo Morelos (1917-1980), a Mexican painter and muralist known for his works depicting scenes from Mexican history and culture.
In the literary realm, Alfonso Morelos (1924-2011) was a renowned Mexican poet and essayist, recognized for his contributions to the contemporary Mexican poetry scene.
Additionally, the state of Morelos in central Mexico was named after José María Morelos y Pavón, further cementing the historical significance of this surname.
It is worth noting that variations of the spelling, such as Morelo or Morelo y Pavón, have also been documented throughout history, reflecting the evolution of surnames over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Morelos
Among Census respondents with the surname Morelos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (5.2%) and White (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Morelos 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 Morelos surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino89.4% · 2,342
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.2% · 137
- White4.2% · 109
- Two or more races0.6% · 15
- Black or African American0.5% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Morelos
Morelos 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
#12,136
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,567
+913 bearers (+55.2%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Up 3,956 places
2020
#11,489
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,621
+54 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Up 647 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,092 | 1,654 | 0.61 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,136 | 2,567 | 0.87 | +913 bearers (+55.2%) | Up 3,956 places |
| 2020 | #11,489 | 2,621 | 0.88 | +54 bearers (+2.1%) | Up 647 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 Morelos 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 | #12,136 | #11,489 | 5.3% |
| Count | 2,567 | 2,621 | 2.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.87 | 0.88 | 0.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Morelos bearers went from 2,567 to 2,621 (+2.1% change). The surname moved up 647 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,136 to #11,489.
FAQ
Morelos surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Morelos?
Name Census estimates that about 3,006 living Americans carry the surname Morelos. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 114,023 residents.
How common is Morelos?
Morelos ranks #11,489 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.88 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,621 people with the surname Morelos. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,006), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.88 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Morelos.
Has Morelos become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Morelos went from 2,567 recorded bearers to 2,621. That is an increase of 54 (+2.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,136 to #11,489.
What does the Census say about the background of Morelos?
Among Census respondents with the surname Morelos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (5.2%) and White (4.2%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Morelos in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.4% (2,342 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Morelos appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (89.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (5.2%), White (4.2%). 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 Morelos (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 Morelos mean?
A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone from any of several places called Morelos, meaning "blackberry grove." 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 Morelos (0.88 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 are called Morelos?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Morelos, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.