2010
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Moscovitz
A surname of Jewish (Ashkenazic) origin meaning "from Moscow" or denoting a person from Moscow.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Moscovitz. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Moscovitz 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Moscovitz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Moscovitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Black (2.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Moscovitz
The surname Moscovitz is of Eastern European origin, specifically from the Russian region. It is derived from the name of the city of Moscow, which was founded in the 12th century. The name likely originated as a way to identify individuals who came from or lived in Moscow.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Moscovitz can be found in Russian census records and official documents from the 16th and 17th centuries. These records often included variations in spelling, such as Moskovitz or Moskovitsh, reflecting the lack of standardized spelling conventions at the time.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Moscovitz was Ivan Moscovitz, a merchant who lived in Moscow in the late 16th century. Records indicate that he was involved in trade with other European countries, particularly in the textile industry.
Another notable figure with the surname Moscovitz was Fyodor Moscovitz, a Russian military officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars in the early 19th century. He was known for his bravery and leadership on the battlefield and was awarded several honors for his service.
In the late 19th century, a prominent Russian writer and playwright named Mikhail Moscovitz gained recognition for his satirical works that critiqued the social and political conditions of his time. His plays were popular among the intelligentsia and helped shape the literary landscape of the era.
As Russian immigrants began to settle in other parts of Europe and North America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the surname Moscovitz spread to other regions. One notable individual was Samuel Moscovitz, a Russian-born businessman who established a successful trading company in New York City in the early 1900s.
In the world of academia, Professor Elena Moscovitz, a renowned linguistics scholar who specialized in Slavic languages, made significant contributions to the field in the mid-20th century. Her research on the evolution of Russian dialects and their influence on other languages was widely acclaimed.
While the surname Moscovitz has its roots in Russia, it has become more widely dispersed in modern times, with individuals bearing this name found in various parts of the world. However, the name's origins can be traced back to the historic city of Moscow and the rich cultural heritage of Eastern Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Moscovitz
Among Census respondents with the surname Moscovitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Black (2.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Moscovitz 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 Moscovitz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.4% · 103
- Black or African American2.8% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Moscovitz
Moscovitz 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
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
+3 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,972 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.9%) | Up 3,972 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 Moscovitz 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 | #154,907 | #150,935 | 2.6% |
| Count | 105 | 108 | 2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Moscovitz bearers went from 105 to 108 (+2.9% change). The surname moved up 3,972 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #150,935.
FAQ
Moscovitz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Moscovitz?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Moscovitz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Moscovitz?
Moscovitz ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Moscovitz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Moscovitz.
Has Moscovitz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Moscovitz went from 105 recorded bearers to 108. That is an increase of 3 (+2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Moscovitz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Moscovitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Black (2.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Moscovitz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.4% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Moscovitz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.4%), Black (2.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Moscovitz (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 Moscovitz mean?
A surname of Jewish (Ashkenazic) origin meaning "from Moscow" or denoting a person from Moscow. 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 Moscovitz (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 Americans have the surname Moscovitz?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.