2000
#11,557
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,495
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.92
Rare Last name
Morningstar
A surname derived from the Middle English term "morwensterre," referring to the morning star or the planet Venus.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,082 Americans carry the last name Morningstar. That puts it at #11,244 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 111,212 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Morningstar 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
3.1K
1 in 111,212
Census rank
#11,244
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,688 bearers of the surname Morningstar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11244th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Morningstar, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.9%) and Hispanic (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Morningstar
The surname Morningstar has its origins in the Old English language, tracing back to the Anglo-Saxon period in Britain. It is believed to have derived from the words "morgen" meaning morning and "steorra" meaning star, likely referring to the planet Venus, often described as the morning star due to its visibility in the eastern sky just before sunrise.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Morgenstern", a variant spelling. This suggests that the name was already in use among the Anglo-Saxon population prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.
During the Middle Ages, the name was often associated with professions or trades related to astronomy or astrology. In the 13th century, a scholar named Robert Morningstar was known for his work on astronomical tables and calendars. He lived from around 1210 to 1280.
In the 15th century, a German soldier and mercenary named Jörg Morningstar gained notoriety for his use of a spiked club, known as a "Morgenstern" in German, as a weapon on the battlefield. He was active from around 1430 to 1480.
In the 17teenth century, a Dutch explorer named Willem Morningstar played a significant role in the establishment of the Dutch East Indies, now modern-day Indonesia. He lived from 1592 to 1648.
Another notable figure was Elizabeth Morningstar, an English botanist and herbalist who published several influential works on medicinal plants in the early 18th century. She lived from 1688 to 1752.
During the 19th century, the name appeared in various parts of Europe and North America, with individuals such as the American politician and lawyer John Morningstar, who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1855 to 1857.
Over the centuries, the surname Morningstar has been subject to various spelling variations, including Morningstarre, Morningstarr, and Morningsterre, among others, reflecting the linguistic and cultural diversity of the regions where it was adopted.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Morningstar
Among Census respondents with the surname Morningstar, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.9%) and Hispanic (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Morningstar 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 Morningstar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.5% · 2,298
- Two or more races5.9% · 159
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 111
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.7% · 72
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 36
- Black or African American0.4% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Morningstar
Morningstar 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
#11,722
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,673
+178 bearers (+7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Down 165 places
2020
#11,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,688
+15 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Up 478 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,557 | 2,495 | 0.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,722 | 2,673 | 0.91 | +178 bearers (+7.1%) | Down 165 places |
| 2020 | #11,244 | 2,688 | 0.90 | +15 bearers (+0.6%) | Up 478 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 Morningstar 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 | #11,722 | #11,244 | 4.1% |
| Count | 2,673 | 2,688 | 0.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.91 | 0.90 | -1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Morningstar bearers went from 2,673 to 2,688 (+0.6% change). The surname moved up 478 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,722 to #11,244.
FAQ
Morningstar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Morningstar?
Name Census estimates that about 3,082 living Americans carry the surname Morningstar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 111,212 residents.
How common is Morningstar?
Morningstar ranks #11,244 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.90 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 2,688 people with the surname Morningstar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,082), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.90 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 Morningstar.
Has Morningstar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Morningstar went from 2,673 recorded bearers to 2,688. That is an increase of 15 (+0.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,722 to #11,244.
What does the Census say about the background of Morningstar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Morningstar, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.9%) and Hispanic (4.1%). 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 Morningstar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.5% (2,298 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Morningstar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.5%), Two or More Races (5.9%), Hispanic (4.1%). 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 Morningstar (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 Morningstar mean?
A surname derived from the Middle English term "morwensterre," referring to the morning star or the planet Venus. 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 Morningstar (0.90 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 Morningstar?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.