2000
#12,197
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,342
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.87
Rare Last name
Mosca
An Italian occupational surname referring to someone who catches flies or a nickname for a persistent or annoying person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,431 Americans carry the last name Mosca. That puts it at #13,685 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 140,993 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mosca 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 Mosca with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 140,993
Census rank
#13,685
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,120 bearers of the surname Mosca in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13685th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mosca, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.5%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mosca
The surname Mosca has its origins in Italy, specifically from the regions of Piedmont and Liguria. The name is derived from the Italian word "mosca," which means "fly." It is believed that the name was originally a nickname for someone with a quick or agile personality, much like the movement of a fly.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Mosca can be found in the 12th century, in the Codex Diplomaticus Sardiniae, a collection of historical documents related to the island of Sardinia. The codex mentions a certain "Petrus Mosca" as a witness to a legal transaction in the year 1175.
In the 13th century, the name Mosca appears in various documents from the Republic of Genoa, suggesting that the surname was well-established in the region during that time period. One notable example is Giovanni Mosca, a Genoese merchant and diplomat who was active in the late 13th century.
During the Renaissance period, the surname gained prominence in the city of Florence. One of the most famous individuals bearing the name was Ugolino della Gherardesca, also known as Ugolino Mosca, a count and military leader who lived from around 1220 to 1289. His tragic story, involving imprisonment and starvation, was immortalized by Dante Alighieri in the Divine Comedy.
In the 16th century, the Mosca family established themselves as prominent landowners and aristocrats in the region of Piedmont. One notable member was Carlo Mosca, born around 1540, who served as a military commander and governor of various fortresses in the service of the House of Savoy.
Another significant figure with the surname Mosca was Gerolamo Mosca, a philosopher and political theorist who lived from 1617 to 1692. He is best known for his work "The Ruler," which explored the nature of power and the role of the elite in society.
Throughout the centuries, the surname Mosca has also been associated with several place names in Italy, such as Moscazzano, a hamlet in the province of Cremona, and Mosca, a small village in the province of Asti.
While the surname Mosca is predominantly Italian in origin, it has also been adopted by families in other parts of Europe and the Americas, often through migration or intermarriage. However, the name's roots can be traced back to the regions of Piedmont and Liguria in Italy, where it has a rich and storied history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mosca
Among Census respondents with the surname Mosca, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.5%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Mosca 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 Mosca surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.1% · 1,826
- Hispanic or Latino8.5% · 181
- Two or more races3.1% · 65
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 33
- Black or African American0.6% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mosca
Mosca 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
#13,271
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,298
-44 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 1,074 places
2020
#13,685
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,120
-178 bearers (-7.7%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Down 414 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,197 | 2,342 | 0.87 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,271 | 2,298 | 0.78 | -44 bearers (-1.9%) | Down 1,074 places |
| 2020 | #13,685 | 2,120 | 0.71 | -178 bearers (-7.7%) | Down 414 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 Mosca 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 | #13,271 | #13,685 | -3.1% |
| Count | 2,298 | 2,120 | -7.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.78 | 0.71 | -9.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mosca bearers went from 2,298 to 2,120 (-7.7% change). The surname moved down 414 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,271 to #13,685.
FAQ
Mosca surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mosca?
Name Census estimates that about 2,431 living Americans carry the surname Mosca. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 140,993 residents.
How common is Mosca?
Mosca ranks #13,685 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.71 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 2,120 people with the surname Mosca. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,431), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.71 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 Mosca.
Has Mosca become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mosca went from 2,298 recorded bearers to 2,120. That is a decrease of 178 (-7.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,271 to #13,685.
What does the Census say about the background of Mosca?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mosca, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.5%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Mosca in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.1% (1,826 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mosca appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.1%), Hispanic (8.5%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Mosca (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 Mosca mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to someone who catches flies or a nickname for a persistent or annoying person. 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 Mosca (0.71 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 Mosca?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Mosca on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.