2000
#124,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Mortan
A surname of Scottish origin that may have evolved from the Gaelic word "mortan" meaning littoral or coastal.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Mortan. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mortan 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Mortan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mortan, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.1%. The next largest groups are Black (24.3%) and Hispanic (7.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mortan
The surname Mortan is believed to have originated in the British Isles, specifically in the regions of England and Scotland. Its roots can be traced back to the medieval period, possibly as early as the 11th or 12th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of this surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Mortain" or "Mortayne." This variation is thought to derive from the Old French word "mort," meaning "dead," and was likely a descriptive nickname for someone with a pale or sickly appearance.
During the Middle Ages, the name appears to have been particularly concentrated in the counties of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire in England, as well as in the Scottish Lowlands. In these areas, it may have evolved from the place name "Morton," referring to a settlement near a moor or marsh.
By the 13th century, the spelling had largely settled on the form "Mortan," as evidenced by records such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which mentions a William Mortan in Cambridgeshire.
One of the earliest notable individuals with this surname was Sir John Mortan, a Scottish knight who fought alongside Robert the Bruce during the Wars of Scottish Independence in the early 14th century. Another prominent figure was Thomas Mortan, a 15th-century English politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1482.
In the 16th century, the name gained further recognition with the birth of the poet and clergyman Thomas Mortan (c. 1530-1599), who served as Bishop of Durham and is remembered for his translations of Greek and Latin works.
Over the centuries, the Mortan surname has been carried by various other individuals of note, including the 17th-century Scottish mathematician and philosopher George Mortan (1619-1699) and the 18th-century English landscape architect Lancelot "Capability" Mortan (1716-1790), renowned for his work at several famous estates and gardens.
While the variations and spellings may have evolved, the Mortan surname has maintained a consistent presence throughout the history of the British Isles, reflecting its origins as a descriptive nickname or place name from medieval times.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mortan
Among Census respondents with the surname Mortan, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.1%. The next largest groups are Black (24.3%) and Hispanic (7.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Mortan 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 Mortan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White62.1% · 64
- Black or African American24.3% · 25
- Hispanic or Latino7.8% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.9% · 3
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mortan
Mortan 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
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-15 bearers (-11.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 22,381 places
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-9 bearers (-8.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 6,929 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,872 | 127 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | -15 bearers (-11.8%) | Down 22,381 places |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -9 bearers (-8.0%) | Down 6,929 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 Mortan 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 | #147,253 | #154,182 | -4.7% |
| Count | 112 | 103 | -8.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mortan bearers went from 112 to 103 (-8.0% change). The surname moved down 6,929 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #154,182.
FAQ
Mortan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mortan?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Mortan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Mortan?
Mortan ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 103 people with the surname Mortan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Mortan.
Has Mortan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mortan went from 112 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 9 (-8.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #147,253 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Mortan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mortan, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.1%. The next largest groups are Black (24.3%) and Hispanic (7.8%). 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 Mortan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.1% (64 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mortan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (62.1%), Black (24.3%), Hispanic (7.8%). 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 Mortan (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 Mortan mean?
A surname of Scottish origin that may have evolved from the Gaelic word "mortan" meaning littoral or coastal. 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 Mortan (0.03 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 Mortan?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Mortan on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.