2000
#12,064
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,373
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.88
Rare Last name
Morones
A Spanish surname derived from the word "morón," meaning a small hill or mound.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,369 Americans carry the last name Morones. That puts it at #10,434 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.98 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 101,738 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Morones 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
3.4K
1 in 101,738
Census rank
#10,434
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,938 bearers of the surname Morones in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.98 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10434th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Morones, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.6%. The next largest groups are White (8.5%) and Two or More Races (0.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Morones
The surname Morones has its origins in Spain and can be traced back to the 12th century. The name is believed to have derived from the Spanish word "moron," which means "hill" or "mound." This suggests that the earliest bearers of the name may have resided near or on a prominent hill or elevated land.
During the Middle Ages, the Morones family was well-established in the region of Andalusia, particularly in the province of Seville. Historical records from this period show several individuals bearing the Morones surname. One notable example is Juan Morones, a prominent landowner and nobleman who lived in the 14th century and held significant influence in the city of Seville.
The Morones name also appears in various medieval documents, including records of land ownership, tax rolls, and legal transactions. One such document is the "Libro de Repartimiento de Sevilla," a census-like record from the 13th century that lists several Morones families among the inhabitants of Seville.
As the Morones family expanded and migrated to other regions of Spain, variations in the spelling of the name emerged. Some of these variations include Morón, Moron, and Morones de la Sierra. The latter variant is associated with the town of Morón de la Frontera in the province of Seville, suggesting that a branch of the Morones family may have originated from or held ties to this particular location.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Morones surname. One such figure is Pedro Morones, a Spanish military commander who played a significant role in the conquest of the Canary Islands in the 15th century. Another noteworthy individual was Hernando Morones, a 16th-century Spanish explorer and navigator who accompanied various expeditions to the Americas.
In the realm of arts and literature, Juan Bautista Morones was a prominent 17th-century Spanish playwright and poet, renowned for his works in the Golden Age of Spanish literature. Additionally, Bernardo Morones, born in 1702, was a celebrated painter known for his religious works and contributions to the Baroque art movement in Spain.
One of the most renowned individuals with the Morones surname was José Morones, a Spanish military officer and statesman who lived from 1768 to 1845. He played a crucial role in the Peninsular War against the French and later served as the Prime Minister of Spain from 1836 to 1838.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Morones
Among Census respondents with the surname Morones, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.6%. The next largest groups are White (8.5%) and Two or More Races (0.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Morones 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 Morones surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino89.6% · 2,632
- White8.5% · 249
- Two or more races0.7% · 21
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 10
- Black or African American0.3% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Morones
Morones 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
#10,440
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,081
+708 bearers (+29.8%)
Per 100,000 1.04
Rank movement Up 1,624 places
2020
#10,434
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,938
-143 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Up 6 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,064 | 2,373 | 0.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,440 | 3,081 | 1.04 | +708 bearers (+29.8%) | Up 1,624 places |
| 2020 | #10,434 | 2,938 | 0.98 | -143 bearers (-4.6%) | Up 6 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 Morones 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 | #10,440 | #10,434 | 0.1% |
| Count | 3,081 | 2,938 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.04 | 0.98 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Morones bearers went from 3,081 to 2,938 (-4.6% change). The surname moved up 6 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,440 to #10,434.
FAQ
Morones surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Morones?
Name Census estimates that about 3,369 living Americans carry the surname Morones. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 101,738 residents.
How common is Morones?
Morones ranks #10,434 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.98 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 2,938 people with the surname Morones. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,369), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.98 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.98 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 Morones.
Has Morones become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Morones went from 3,081 recorded bearers to 2,938. That is a decrease of 143 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,440 to #10,434.
What does the Census say about the background of Morones?
Among Census respondents with the surname Morones, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.6%. The next largest groups are White (8.5%) and Two or More Races (0.7%). 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 Morones in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.6% (2,632 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Morones appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (89.6%), White (8.5%), Two or More Races (0.7%). 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 Morones (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 Morones mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the word "morón," meaning a small hill or mound. 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 Morones (0.98 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 Morones?
Want to know how many people have the last name Morones? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.