2000
#9,684
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,077
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.14
Rare Last name
Mosely
Derived from a place name meaning "mouse clearing" or "mouse wood" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,884 Americans carry the last name Mosely. That puts it at #9,234 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 88,248 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mosely 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 Mosely with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.9K
1 in 88,248
Census rank
#9,234
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,387 bearers of the surname Mosely in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9234th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mosely, the largest self-reported group is Black at 58.3%. The next largest groups are White (31.5%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mosely
The surname Mosely has its origins in England, tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old English words "mos" and "leah," meaning "moss" and "meadow" or "clearing," respectively. This suggests that the name initially referred to someone who lived near a mossy meadow or clearing.
The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the early 13th century, appearing in various forms such as "de Moseleye" and "atte Moselye." These variations reflect the common practice of adding locational suffixes to distinguish individuals from specific areas.
One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which were administrative records documenting landowners and their holdings. The entry "John de Museleye" is listed as residing in Staffordshire.
During the 14th century, the name was also documented in the Poll Tax Returns of 1379, which recorded taxpayers across England. This record includes individuals such as "Thomas de Moseleye" and "John Moselye," both from Worcestershire.
Over the centuries, the surname has been associated with several notable figures. One of the earliest was Sir Nicholas Mosely (c. 1320-1388), a prominent landowner and member of Parliament from Staffordshire. Another was Sir Oswald Mosely (1588-1665), an English politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Long Parliament during the English Civil War.
In later years, the name gained further prominence with individuals like Sir Oswald Mosley (1896-1980), a British politician and founder of the British Union of Fascists. Another noteworthy bearer of the name was Walter Michael Mosely (1925-2010), an American writer and philosopher known for his works on Afrofuturism.
The Mosely surname has also been associated with various locations across England, such as Moseley in Staffordshire, Moseley in Worcestershire, and Moseley in the West Midlands. These place names likely contributed to the development and spread of the surname over time.
While the exact origins of the Mosely surname may be difficult to pinpoint, its history is deeply rooted in the medieval English landscape and the lives of those who once called the mossy meadows and clearings of England their home.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mosely
Among Census respondents with the surname Mosely, the largest self-reported group is Black at 58.3%. The next largest groups are White (31.5%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Mosely 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 Mosely surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American58.3% · 1,974
- White31.5% · 1,066
- Two or more races5.3% · 180
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 128
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mosely
Mosely 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
#9,506
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,419
+342 bearers (+11.1%)
Per 100,000 1.16
Rank movement Up 178 places
2020
#9,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,387
-32 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 1.13
Rank movement Up 272 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,684 | 3,077 | 1.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,506 | 3,419 | 1.16 | +342 bearers (+11.1%) | Up 178 places |
| 2020 | #9,234 | 3,387 | 1.13 | -32 bearers (-0.9%) | Up 272 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 Mosely 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 | #9,506 | #9,234 | 2.9% |
| Count | 3,419 | 3,387 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.16 | 1.13 | -2.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mosely bearers went from 3,419 to 3,387 (-0.9% change). The surname moved up 272 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,506 to #9,234.
FAQ
Mosely surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mosely?
Name Census estimates that about 3,884 living Americans carry the surname Mosely. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 88,248 residents.
How common is Mosely?
Mosely ranks #9,234 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.13 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 3,387 people with the surname Mosely. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,884), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.13 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 Mosely.
Has Mosely become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mosely went from 3,419 recorded bearers to 3,387. That is a decrease of 32 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,506 to #9,234.
What does the Census say about the background of Mosely?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mosely, the largest self-reported group is Black at 58.3%. The next largest groups are White (31.5%) and Two or More Races (5.3%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mosely in the 2020 Census, accounting for 58.3% (1,974 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mosely appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (58.3%), White (31.5%), Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Mosely (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 Mosely mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "mouse clearing" or "mouse wood" in Old English. 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 Mosely (1.13 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 common is the surname Mosely?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Mosely, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.