2000
#62
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 276,400
First available Census row
Per 100,000 102.46
Common Last name
Morgan
An occupational surname for a sea-captain, ship-builder, or someone living near the sea.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 316,916 Americans carry the last name Morgan. That puts it at #69 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 92.46 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,082 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Morgan 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 Morgan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
317K
1 in 1,082
Census rank
#69
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
92.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
276K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 276,366 bearers of the surname Morgan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 92.46 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 69th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Morgan, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.7%. The next largest groups are Black (17.3%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Morgan
The surname Morgan originated in Wales, derived from the Welsh male given name "Morganā€¯", which is thought to mean "sea-born" or "circling sea". This name was particularly prevalent in areas such as Glamorgan and Monmouthshire.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Morgan can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Morgant". This suggests that the name was already in use in England by the time of the Norman Conquest.
During the Middle Ages, the surname Morgan was associated with various noble families in Wales, such as the Morgans of Tredegar and the Morgans of Pencoed. Notable figures from this period include Sir John Morgan (c. 1380-1443), a Welsh soldier and landowner, and Sir Thomas Morgan (c. 1485-1556), a Welsh politician and courtier.
In the 16th century, the Morgan surname began to spread more widely across England and other parts of the British Isles. One of the most famous bearers of the name during this time was Sir Henry Morgan (1635-1688), a Welsh privateer and pirate who became Lieutenant Governor of Jamaica.
As the Morgan surname grew in popularity, it became associated with various place names, such as Morgans Town in West Virginia and Morgan City in Louisiana. The name also saw variations in spelling, including Morgant, Morganwg, and Morganau.
Other notable individuals with the surname Morgan throughout history include:
1. William Morgan (c. 1545-1604), a Welsh biblical scholar and translator of the first modern Welsh Bible.
2. Daniel Morgan (1736-1802), an American pioneer, soldier, and United States Representative from Virginia.
3. John Pierpont Morgan (1837-1913), an American financier and banker who dominated corporate finance on Wall Street.
4. Joseph Morgan (1857-1923), a Welsh-born American businessman and founder of the Morgan Corporation.
5. Charles Langbridge Morgan (1894-1958), a British novelist and playwright.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Morgan
Among Census respondents with the surname Morgan, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.7%. The next largest groups are Black (17.3%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Morgan 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 Morgan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.7% · 201,024
- Black or African American17.3% · 47,750
- Two or more races4.3% · 11,921
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 10,477
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 3,257
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 1,937
Timeline
Historical Census data for Morgan
Morgan 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
#69
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 286,280
+9,880 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 97.05
Rank movement Down 7 places
2020
#69
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 276,366
-9,914 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 92.46
Rank movement No rank change
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #62 | 276,400 | 102.46 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #69 | 286,280 | 97.05 | +9,880 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 7 places |
| 2020 | #69 | 276,366 | 92.46 | -9,914 bearers (-3.5%) | No rank change |
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 Morgan 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 | #69 | #69 | 0.0% |
| Count | 286,280 | 276,366 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 97.05 | 92.46 | -4.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Morgan bearers went from 286,280 to 276,366 (-3.5% change). The surname held its position in the national ranking, remaining at #69.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Morgan
FAQ
Morgan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Morgan?
Name Census estimates that about 316,916 living Americans carry the surname Morgan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,082 residents.
How common is Morgan?
Morgan ranks #69 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 92.46 per 100,000 residents, which is about 92 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 276,366 people with the surname Morgan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (316,916), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 92.46 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 92.46 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 92 of them to have the surname Morgan.
Has Morgan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Morgan went from 286,280 recorded bearers to 276,366. That is a decrease of 9,914 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it stayed at #69.
What does the Census say about the background of Morgan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Morgan, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.7%. The next largest groups are Black (17.3%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Morgan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.7% (201,024 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Morgan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.7%), Black (17.3%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Morgan (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 Morgan mean?
An occupational surname for a sea-captain, ship-builder, or someone living near the sea. 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 Morgan (92.46 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 share the surname Morgan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.