2000
#11,336
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,556
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.95
Rare Last name
Mort
An occupational surname referring to a person who worked with the dead, such as an undertaker or gravedigger.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,853 Americans carry the last name Mort. That puts it at #11,991 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.83 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 120,138 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mort 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 Mort with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 120,138
Census rank
#11,991
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,488 bearers of the surname Mort in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.83 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11991st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mort, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mort
The surname MORT originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "mort," meaning "dead," which in turn comes from the Latin word "mors," also meaning "death." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who worked in a profession related to death, such as a gravedigger or an undertaker.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname MORT can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which lists a person named William Mort residing in the county of Essex. This indicates that the name was already in use by the late 11th century.
In the 13th century, there are records of a family named MORT residing in the village of Mortlake, located in the county of Surrey. The name of the village itself is derived from the Old English words "mort" and "lac," meaning "dead lake" or "lake of the dead." It is possible that the MORT family took their surname from this place name.
One notable figure bearing the surname MORT was John Mort, a wealthy merchant and politician who lived in the 16th century. Born in 1504, Mort served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1555 and was a member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Sir John Mort, a British naval officer who lived in the 18th century (1718-1796). He served as the Lieutenant Governor of Greenwich Hospital and was knighted for his service to the Royal Navy.
In the 19th century, a notable figure named Richard Mort (1796-1868) was a successful industrialist and iron manufacturer from Manchester, England. He played a significant role in the development of the city's industrial infrastructure.
The surname MORT also appears in the writings of William Shakespeare. In his play "Hamlet," the character Ophelia mentions a "Mort o' th' field," which is a term used to refer to a person who has died in battle or in the open field.
While the surname MORT originated in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly to countries that were former British colonies. However, its historical roots can be traced back to the medieval period in England, where it was likely associated with professions or places related to death.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mort
Among Census respondents with the surname Mort, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Mort 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 Mort surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.2% · 2,245
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 104
- Two or more races3.7% · 93
- Black or African American0.7% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mort
Mort 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
#11,411
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,762
+206 bearers (+8.1%)
Per 100,000 0.94
Rank movement Down 75 places
2020
#11,991
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,488
-274 bearers (-9.9%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Down 580 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,336 | 2,556 | 0.95 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,411 | 2,762 | 0.94 | +206 bearers (+8.1%) | Down 75 places |
| 2020 | #11,991 | 2,488 | 0.83 | -274 bearers (-9.9%) | Down 580 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 Mort 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 | #11,411 | #11,991 | -5.1% |
| Count | 2,762 | 2,488 | -9.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.94 | 0.83 | -11.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mort bearers went from 2,762 to 2,488 (-9.9% change). The surname moved down 580 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,411 to #11,991.
FAQ
Mort surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mort?
Name Census estimates that about 2,853 living Americans carry the surname Mort. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 120,138 residents.
How common is Mort?
Mort ranks #11,991 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.83 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 2,488 people with the surname Mort. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,853), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.83 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.83 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 Mort.
Has Mort become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mort went from 2,762 recorded bearers to 2,488. That is a decrease of 274 (-9.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,411 to #11,991.
What does the Census say about the background of Mort?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mort, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mort in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.2% (2,245 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mort appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.2%), Hispanic (4.2%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Mort (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 Mort mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who worked with the dead, such as an undertaker or gravedigger. 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 Mort (0.83 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 Americans have the surname Mort?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.