2000
#14,831
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,834
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.68
Rare Last name
Morency
A habitational surname derived from a place in France, likely referring to a person from Morency or Montmorency.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,360 Americans carry the last name Morency. That puts it at #14,020 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 145,235 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Morency 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
2.4K
1 in 145,235
Census rank
#14,020
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,058 bearers of the surname Morency in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14020th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Morency, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.7%. The next largest groups are Black (37.8%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Morency
The surname Morency originated in France, tracing its roots back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "morancier," which referred to a person who cultivated or traded in mulberries. The earliest known bearers of this name were found in the region of Normandy.
One of the earliest records of the name Morency can be found in the Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Sainte-Trinité de Caen, a medieval manuscript dating back to the late 12th century. This document mentions a certain Willelmus de Morancey, who was likely a landowner or tenant in the vicinity of Caen.
By the 13th century, the Morency name had spread to other regions of France, particularly in the areas surrounding Paris. In 1275, a certain Jean de Morency was listed as a resident of the village of Marly-le-Roi, which was then part of the parish of Louveciennes.
During the 14th century, the Morency family gained prominence in the military and political spheres. One notable figure was Geoffroy de Morency, born around 1320, who served as a knight and advisor to King Charles V of France. He participated in several important battles during the Hundred Years' War against England.
Another historic figure bearing the Morency name was Jacques de Morency, born in 1492 in Rouen. He was a renowned jurist and legal scholar who served as a judge in the Parlement of Normandy. His legal treatises and commentaries on French law were highly influential during the Renaissance period.
In the 17th century, the Morency family produced several notable clergymen, including François de Morency (1628-1701), who was appointed as the Bishop of Coutances in Normandy. His nephew, René de Morency (1662-1732), followed in his footsteps and became the Bishop of Évreux.
As the Morency name spread throughout France over the centuries, it also appeared in various alternate spellings, such as Morancy, Morancey, and Morancier, reflecting regional linguistic variations and scribal interpretations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Morency
Among Census respondents with the surname Morency, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.7%. The next largest groups are Black (37.8%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Morency 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 Morency surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White54.7% · 1,125
- Black or African American37.8% · 778
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 73
- Two or more races3.2% · 66
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Morency
Morency 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
#14,681
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,026
+192 bearers (+10.5%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Up 150 places
2020
#14,020
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,058
+32 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Up 661 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,831 | 1,834 | 0.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,681 | 2,026 | 0.69 | +192 bearers (+10.5%) | Up 150 places |
| 2020 | #14,020 | 2,058 | 0.69 | +32 bearers (+1.6%) | Up 661 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 Morency 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 | #14,681 | #14,020 | 4.5% |
| Count | 2,026 | 2,058 | 1.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.69 | 0.69 | -0.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Morency bearers went from 2,026 to 2,058 (+1.6% change). The surname moved up 661 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,681 to #14,020.
FAQ
Morency surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Morency?
Name Census estimates that about 2,360 living Americans carry the surname Morency. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 145,235 residents.
How common is Morency?
Morency ranks #14,020 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.69 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 2,058 people with the surname Morency. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,360), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.69 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 Morency.
Has Morency become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Morency went from 2,026 recorded bearers to 2,058. That is an increase of 32 (+1.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,681 to #14,020.
What does the Census say about the background of Morency?
Among Census respondents with the surname Morency, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.7%. The next largest groups are Black (37.8%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Morency in the 2020 Census, accounting for 54.7% (1,125 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Morency appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (54.7%), Black (37.8%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Morency (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 Morency mean?
A habitational surname derived from a place in France, likely referring to a person from Morency or Montmorency. 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 Morency (0.69 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 Morency?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Morency at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.