2000
#9,895
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,008
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.12
Rare Last name
Morfin
Derived from a place name meaning "settlement by the sea" in Old English, or a variant of the name Murphy.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,691 Americans carry the last name Morfin. That puts it at #7,786 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.37 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 73,066 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Morfin 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
4.7K
1 in 73,066
Census rank
#7,786
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,091 bearers of the surname Morfin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.37 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7786th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Morfin, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.1%. The next largest groups are White (4.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Morfin
The surname Morfin is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "morfin," which means "morning" or "dawn." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who was born or worked early in the morning.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Morfin can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the year 1301, which mention a person named Adam Morfyn. Another early reference is in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, where a John Morfyn is listed.
In the 15th century, the name appeared in various spellings, such as Morfyn, Morffyn, and Murfyn, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling during that time. One notable figure from this period was William Morfyn, a wealthy landowner who lived in Oxfordshire in the late 1400s.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Morfin surname continued to be concentrated in the English Midlands, particularly in counties like Warwickshire and Staffordshire. Several members of the family were involved in the cloth trade, which was a major industry in those areas.
One of the more prominent individuals bearing the Morfin name was Sir Robert Morfin, a wealthy merchant and alderman in the city of London during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. He was born around 1540 and served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1597.
Another notable figure was John Morfin, a Puritan minister who lived in Gloucestershire in the early 1600s. He was known for his strong religious convictions and played a role in the struggle between the Puritans and the Church of England during that turbulent period.
In the 18th century, the Morfin family had several members who served in the British military, including Captain Thomas Morfin, who fought in the American Revolutionary War and died in battle near Charleston, South Carolina, in 1780.
As the centuries progressed, the Morfin surname spread to various parts of the British Isles and, later, to other parts of the world through emigration. However, it has remained a relatively uncommon name throughout its history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Morfin
Among Census respondents with the surname Morfin, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.1%. The next largest groups are White (4.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Morfin 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 Morfin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino94.1% · 3,851
- White4.8% · 195
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 13
- Two or more races0.3% · 12
- Black or African American0.1% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Morfin
Morfin 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
#7,391
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,505
+1,497 bearers (+49.8%)
Per 100,000 1.53
Rank movement Up 2,504 places
2020
#7,786
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,091
-414 bearers (-9.2%)
Per 100,000 1.37
Rank movement Down 395 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,895 | 3,008 | 1.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,391 | 4,505 | 1.53 | +1,497 bearers (+49.8%) | Up 2,504 places |
| 2020 | #7,786 | 4,091 | 1.37 | -414 bearers (-9.2%) | Down 395 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 Morfin 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 | #7,391 | #7,786 | -5.3% |
| Count | 4,505 | 4,091 | -9.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.53 | 1.37 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Morfin bearers went from 4,505 to 4,091 (-9.2% change). The surname moved down 395 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,391 to #7,786.
FAQ
Morfin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Morfin?
Name Census estimates that about 4,691 living Americans carry the surname Morfin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 73,066 residents.
How common is Morfin?
Morfin ranks #7,786 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.37 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 4,091 people with the surname Morfin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,691), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.37 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.37 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 Morfin.
Has Morfin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Morfin went from 4,505 recorded bearers to 4,091. That is a decrease of 414 (-9.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,391 to #7,786.
What does the Census say about the background of Morfin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Morfin, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.1%. The next largest groups are White (4.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.4%). 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 Morfin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (3,851 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Morfin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (94.1%), White (4.8%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.4%). 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 Morfin (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 Morfin mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "settlement by the sea" in Old English, or a variant of the name Murphy. 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 Morfin (1.37 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 Morfin?
If you just want to know how common the surname Morfin is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.