2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Morriston
A locational surname referring to a person from Morriston, a town in Wales.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Morriston. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Morriston 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Morriston in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Morriston, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Morriston
The surname Morriston is of British origin, specifically from the region of Wales. It is a locational surname that refers to the town of Morriston, which is located just outside of Swansea in South Wales. The name is believed to have originated in the late 16th or early 17th century.
The name Morriston is derived from the Welsh words "mor" meaning "sea" and "tref" meaning "town" or "settlement." This suggests that the town of Morriston was likely a coastal settlement or had close ties to the sea in its early history. Some early spellings of the name included Moryston, Moristone, and Morrestoun.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Morriston can be found in the parish records of Morriston itself, dating back to the late 17th century. In these records, several families with the surname Morriston are mentioned as residing in the area.
Notable individuals with the surname Morriston include:
1. William Morriston (1736-1809), a Welsh landowner and businessman who played a significant role in the industrialization of the Swansea area.
2. John Morriston (1792-1867), a Welsh politician and Member of Parliament for Swansea from 1835 to 1847.
3. Elizabeth Morriston (1820-1892), a Welsh philanthropist and social reformer who founded several schools and hospitals in the Swansea region.
4. David Morriston (1845-1923), a Welsh engineer and inventor who patented several innovations in the field of coal mining and steel production.
5. Evan Morriston (1876-1958), a Welsh rugby player who represented Wales in the late 19th century and is considered one of the early greats of the sport.
The name Morriston is closely tied to the history and development of the town itself, which grew in importance during the Industrial Revolution due to its proximity to coal mines and steel mills. As a result, many families with the surname Morriston were likely involved in these industries or played a role in the growth of the town during this period.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Morriston
Among Census respondents with the surname Morriston, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Morriston 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 Morriston surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.1% · 105
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Morriston
Morriston 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
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+12 bearers (+11.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,662 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-12 bearers (-10.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,482 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #142,819 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+11.2%) | Up 2,662 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-10.1%) | Down 11,482 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 Morriston 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 | #140,157 | #151,639 | -8.2% |
| Count | 119 | 107 | -10.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Morriston bearers went from 119 to 107 (-10.1% change). The surname moved down 11,482 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #151,639.
FAQ
Morriston surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Morriston?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Morriston. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Morriston?
Morriston ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Morriston. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Morriston.
Has Morriston become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Morriston went from 119 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 12 (-10.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Morriston?
Among Census respondents with the surname Morriston, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Morriston in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.1% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Morriston appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.1%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Morriston (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 Morriston mean?
A locational surname referring to a person from Morriston, a town in Wales. 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 Morriston (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 Morriston?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Morriston on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.