2010
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Moschkau
A surname of German origin, possibly referring to a place name or occupation.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Moschkau. 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 Moschkau 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 Moschkau 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 Moschkau, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Moschkau
The surname Moschkau is of German origin, originating from the region of Saxony during the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old German word "mosk," meaning "moss," and the suffix "kau," which refers to a meadow or pasture. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near or owned a mossy meadow or pasture land.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Moschkau can be found in the 1598 baptismal records of the town of Crimmitschau, located in the present-day German state of Saxony. Here, the name is spelled "Moßkau," reflecting the changes in orthography over time.
During the 17th century, the name Moschkau appeared in various legal documents and property records across the region of Saxony. For instance, in 1623, a Wilhelm Moschkau was listed as a landowner in the village of Neukirchen, near the town of Bautzen.
In the 18th century, the name Moschkau gained some prominence with the birth of Johann Michael Moschkau (1703-1776), a German theologian and author from the town of Großhennersdorf in Saxony. His works included commentaries on biblical texts and sermons on moral and religious topics.
Another notable figure with the surname Moschkau was Friedrich Wilhelm Moschkau (1796-1868), a German botanist and naturalist from the town of Herrnhut in Saxony. He contributed to the study of flora in the region and published several works on the subject.
In the 19th century, the name Moschkau appeared in various genealogical records and census documents across Germany. One such example is Carl Moschkau (1822-1894), a merchant and businessman from the city of Leipzig, who was involved in the textile trade.
The surname Moschkau continued to be associated with individuals from the German states throughout the 20th century, although it remained relatively uncommon compared to other German surnames.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Moschkau
Among Census respondents with the surname Moschkau, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Moschkau 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 Moschkau surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.5% · 109
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 3
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Moschkau
Moschkau appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-4 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,113 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 5,113 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 Moschkau 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 | #142,108 | #147,221 | -3.6% |
| Count | 117 | 113 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Moschkau bearers went from 117 to 113 (-3.4% change). The surname moved down 5,113 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #147,221.
FAQ
Moschkau surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Moschkau?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Moschkau. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Moschkau?
Moschkau 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 Moschkau. 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 Moschkau.
Has Moschkau become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Moschkau went from 117 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Moschkau?
Among Census respondents with the surname Moschkau, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (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 Moschkau in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.5% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Moschkau appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.5%), Hispanic (2.7%), Two or More Races (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 Moschkau (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 Moschkau mean?
A surname of German origin, possibly referring to a place name or occupation. 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 Moschkau (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 Moschkau?
See how many people have the surname Moschkau on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.