2000
#150,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Moroso
A surname potentially derived from the Italian word "moroso" meaning slow or delaying.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Moroso. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Moroso 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Moroso in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Moroso, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Moroso
The surname Moroso is believed to have originated in Italy, with its earliest recorded instances appearing in the 14th century. The name is thought to derive from the Italian word "moro," meaning "dark" or "swarthy," potentially describing the physical appearance of the original bearer.
One of the earliest known records of the Moroso name dates back to 1387 in Venice, where a Giovanni Moroso was mentioned in a legal document. This suggests that the name may have first emerged in the Veneto region of northeastern Italy.
During the 15th and 16th centuries, the Moroso family gained prominence in Venice, with several members holding influential positions in the city's government and merchant class. Notably, Andrea Moroso (1455-1521) served as a Venetian ambassador to various European courts, and Marco Moroso (1518-1592) was a successful merchant and banker.
The Moroso name also appears in historical records from other parts of Italy, such as the Campania region in the south. In the 17th century, a Giambattista Moroso (1627-1701) from Naples was a renowned philosopher and theologian, known for his contributions to the study of natural law.
As the Moroso family spread across Italy, variations in spelling emerged, such as Morosini and Moresi. These variations likely reflected regional linguistic differences or scribal errors in transcribing the name.
Beyond Italy, the Moroso surname can be found in other parts of Europe and the Americas, likely due to immigration patterns. For instance, Antonio Moroso (1824-1892) was a Spanish painter known for his landscapes and genre scenes, while José Moroso (1836-1908) was a Cuban writer and journalist who played a significant role in the island's literary and cultural circles.
Other notable individuals with the Moroso surname include the Italian architect and designer Patrizia Moroso (born 1957), whose innovative furniture designs have gained international recognition, and the American businessman Adolfo Moroso (1922-2006), who founded the Moroso Performance Products automotive company.
While the Moroso name has its roots in Italy, it has since spread across the globe, carried by individuals who have left their mark in various fields, from the arts and literature to business and philosophy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Moroso
Among Census respondents with the surname Moroso, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Moroso 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 Moroso surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 104
- Hispanic or Latino7.1% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Moroso
Moroso 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
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
+7 bearers (+7.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,192 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+6 bearers (+5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,407 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #150,436 | 100 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+7.0%) | Down 2,192 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.6%) | Up 5,407 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 Moroso 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 | #152,628 | #147,221 | 3.5% |
| Count | 107 | 113 | 5.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Moroso bearers went from 107 to 113 (+5.6% change). The surname moved up 5,407 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #147,221.
FAQ
Moroso surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Moroso?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Moroso. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Moroso?
Moroso ranks #147,221 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 113 people with the surname Moroso. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Moroso.
Has Moroso become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Moroso went from 107 recorded bearers to 113. That is an increase of 6 (+5.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #152,628 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Moroso?
Among Census respondents with the surname Moroso, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Moroso in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Moroso appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Hispanic (7.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Moroso (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 Moroso mean?
A surname potentially derived from the Italian word "moroso" meaning slow or delaying. 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 Moroso (0.04 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 have the last name Moroso?
Want to know how many people are called Moroso? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.