Find out how popular the last name Moscoso is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Moscoso.

Moscoso, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Moscoso surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Moscoso in America

Moscoso is the 11739th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Moscoso surname appeared 2,669 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Moscoso.

We can also compare 2010 data for Moscoso to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Moscoso

The surname Moscoso originated in the northwestern region of Spain, particularly in the province of Galicia. It can be traced back to the Middle Ages, around the 12th or 13th century. The name is believed to derive from the Galician-Portuguese word "musgo," meaning "moss" or "lichen," possibly indicating a connection to a place abundant in these types of vegetation.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Moscoso name appears in the Tumbo Viejo de Castilla, a medieval cartulary from the 13th century. It mentions a nobleman named Rodrigo Moscoso who held lands and properties in the region of Galicia. The name also appears in various other historical documents from that period, such as land grants and property deeds.

The Moscoso family played a significant role in the history of Galicia and Spain during the Middle Ages and beyond. One notable figure was Pedro Moscoso, a military commander who fought alongside King Ferdinand III in the Reconquista, the Christian reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors. He was born around 1190 and participated in the conquest of Seville in 1248.

Another prominent member of the Moscoso family was Álvaro Moscoso, a 15th-century nobleman and diplomat who served as the ambassador of Castile to the Holy Roman Empire. He was born in Galicia around 1420 and played a crucial role in the negotiations that led to the marriage of Philip the Handsome, the son of Emperor Maximilian I, and Joanna of Castile, known as Joanna the Mad.

In the 16th century, the Moscoso name gained prominence in the Americas due to the involvement of several members of the family in the Spanish conquest and colonization efforts. One noteworthy figure was Alonso Moscoso, a conquistador and explorer who participated in the expedition led by Hernando de Soto to explore and conquer parts of present-day Florida, Georgia, and the Southeastern United States. He was born in Galicia around 1510.

Another notable Moscoso was Juan Moscoso, a Spanish conquistador and explorer who led an expedition to explore parts of present-day New Mexico and Texas in the late 16th century. He was born in Galicia around 1550 and is credited with establishing the first European settlement in the region, known as San Gabriel del Yungue, near present-day El Paso, Texas.

The Moscoso surname has persisted throughout history and can still be found in various parts of Spain, as well as in Latin American countries with Spanish heritage, such as Mexico, Argentina, and Colombia. It serves as a testament to the rich cultural and historical legacy of the Galician region and its influential families during the medieval and colonial periods.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Moscoso

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Moscoso.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Moscoso was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Moscoso has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Moscoso was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Moscoso, please contact us.

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