2000
#7,895
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,890
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.44
Rare Last name
Mori
An Italian surname referring to a dark-skinned or Moorish-looking person, or someone from Moro d'Alba, Italy.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,550 Americans carry the last name Mori. That puts it at #8,009 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.33 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 75,331 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mori 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 Mori with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.5K
1 in 75,331
Census rank
#8,009
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,968 bearers of the surname Mori in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.33 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8009th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mori, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 46.0%. The next largest groups are White (28.6%) and Hispanic (16.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mori
The surname MORI has its origins in Italy, where it first emerged in the medieval period. It is derived from the Italian word "moro," meaning "Moor" or "dark-skinned person." This suggests that the name may have originally been given as a nickname or descriptive term for someone with a darker complexion or possibly someone who had connections to North Africa or the Moorish culture.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the MORI surname can be found in the Codice Diplomatico Longobardo, a collection of historical documents from the Lombard period in Italy, dating back to the 8th century. However, it's important to note that spellings were often inconsistent in these early records, and the name may have appeared in various forms, such as Moro, Mori, or Moris.
In the 13th century, the MORI surname is documented in the Florentine records, specifically in the Libro di Montaperti, which chronicles the famous battle of Montaperti in 1260. This suggests that the MORI family may have been influential or involved in the political and military affairs of medieval Florence.
One notable figure bearing the MORI surname was Iacopo Mori, a Venetian merchant and explorer who lived in the late 13th century. He is credited with being one of the first Europeans to travel to and document the lands of Central Asia, including parts of modern-day Mongolia and China.
Another prominent individual was Tommaso Mori (1478-1535), an English Renaissance scholar, statesman, and Catholic martyr. Although not directly related to the Italian MORI surname, his name is often anglicized as "Thomas More" and has become renowned for his influential works, including "Utopia," and his steadfast adherence to his religious beliefs, leading to his execution by King Henry VIII.
In the 16th century, the MORI surname can be found in various regions of Italy, including Tuscany, Veneto, and Lombardy. One notable figure from this period was Battista Mori (1536-1598), an Italian architect and sculptor who worked on several notable projects in Rome, including the Palazzo Borghese and the Church of Santa Maria della Vittoria.
During the 17th century, the MORI surname gained prominence in the Republic of Venice, where several members of the family held influential positions in the city's government and cultural institutions. One such figure was Girolamo Mori (1612-1688), a Venetian nobleman and poet who was celebrated for his literary works and patronage of the arts.
As the MORI surname spread across Europe, it also took on various spellings and adaptations in different languages. For example, in French, it became Morin, while in Spanish, it transformed into Morín or Moreno. Despite these variations, the underlying meaning and origin of the name remained connected to its Italian roots.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mori
Among Census respondents with the surname Mori, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 46.0%. The next largest groups are White (28.6%) and Hispanic (16.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Mori 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 Mori surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander46.0% · 1,827
- White28.6% · 1,134
- Hispanic or Latino16.0% · 635
- Two or more races7.2% · 284
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 53
- Black or African American0.9% · 35
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mori
Mori 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
#7,831
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,228
+338 bearers (+8.7%)
Per 100,000 1.43
Rank movement Up 64 places
2020
#8,009
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,968
-260 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 1.33
Rank movement Down 178 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,895 | 3,890 | 1.44 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,831 | 4,228 | 1.43 | +338 bearers (+8.7%) | Up 64 places |
| 2020 | #8,009 | 3,968 | 1.33 | -260 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 178 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 Mori 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 | #7,831 | #8,009 | -2.3% |
| Count | 4,228 | 3,968 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.43 | 1.33 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mori bearers went from 4,228 to 3,968 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 178 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,831 to #8,009.
FAQ
Mori surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mori?
Name Census estimates that about 4,550 living Americans carry the surname Mori. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 75,331 residents.
How common is Mori?
Mori ranks #8,009 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.33 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 3,968 people with the surname Mori. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,550), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.33 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.33 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 Mori.
Has Mori become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mori went from 4,228 recorded bearers to 3,968. That is a decrease of 260 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,831 to #8,009.
What does the Census say about the background of Mori?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mori, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 46.0%. The next largest groups are White (28.6%) and Hispanic (16.0%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mori in the 2020 Census, accounting for 46.0% (1,827 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mori appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (46.0%), White (28.6%), Hispanic (16.0%). 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 Mori (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 Mori mean?
An Italian surname referring to a dark-skinned or Moorish-looking person, or someone from Moro d'Alba, Italy. 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 Mori (1.33 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 Mori?
See how many people are called Mori on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.