2000
#858
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 36,814
First available Census row
Per 100,000 13.65
Uncommon Last name
Moses
Derived from the Hebrew name Moshe, which means "drawn out" or "pulled out," likely referring to the Biblical figure.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 44,112 Americans carry the last name Moses. That puts it at #888 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 12.87 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 7,770 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Moses 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 Moses with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
44K
1 in 7,770
Census rank
#888
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
12.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
38K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 38,468 bearers of the surname Moses in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 12.87 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 888th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Moses, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.5%. The next largest groups are Black (33.3%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Moses
The surname Moses originated from the Hebrew personal name "Moshe", which means "drawn out" or "pulled out", in reference to the biblical figure Moses who was drawn out of the waters of the Nile River. This name, in its various spellings, has been adopted as a surname across different cultures and religions.
The earliest known records of the surname Moses can be traced back to the 12th century in England. During this time, Jewish communities began to adopt hereditary surnames, and Moses was one of the names derived from biblical figures. In the 13th century, the name was recorded as "Moyses" in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire.
In the 16th century, the surname Moses gained popularity among Protestant Christians in England and Scotland, who adopted biblical names as a way to express their religious beliefs. This led to an increase in the use of the surname Moses among non-Jewish populations.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Moses was Robert Moses, a 13th-century landowner in Suffolk, England. Another notable individual was Sir Edward Moses (1572-1636), an English merchant and diplomat who served as the ambassador to the Ottoman Empire.
The surname Moses also has a long history in the United States, where it was brought by early Jewish immigrants from various European countries. One of the most prominent figures with this surname was Robert Moses (1888-1981), the influential urban planner and public official who shaped the development of New York City.
Other notable individuals with the surname Moses include:
1. Anna Mary Moses (1860-1961), an American folk artist known for her naive style paintings depicting rural life.
2. Grandma Moses (1860-1961), the nickname of Anna Mary Moses, which became her professional name as an artist.
3. Alfred H. Moses (1919-1995), an American lawyer and diplomat who served as the US ambassador to Romania and Morocco.
4. Raphael Moses (1812-1903), a British Jewish writer and historian who wrote extensively on Jewish history and culture.
5. Edwin Moses (born 1955), an American former track and field athlete who won gold medals in the 400-meter hurdles at the 1976 and 1984 Olympic Games.
These are just a few examples of the rich history and diverse backgrounds of individuals who have carried the surname Moses throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Moses
Among Census respondents with the surname Moses, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.5%. The next largest groups are Black (33.3%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Moses 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 Moses surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White52.5% · 20,193
- Black or African American33.3% · 12,800
- Two or more races4.9% · 1,903
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 1,373
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.1% · 1,174
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.7% · 1,025
Timeline
Historical Census data for Moses
Moses 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
#887
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 39,216
+2,402 bearers (+6.5%)
Per 100,000 13.29
Rank movement Down 29 places
2020
#888
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 38,468
-748 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 12.87
Rank movement Down 1 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #858 | 36,814 | 13.65 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #887 | 39,216 | 13.29 | +2,402 bearers (+6.5%) | Down 29 places |
| 2020 | #888 | 38,468 | 12.87 | -748 bearers (-1.9%) | Down 1 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 Moses 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 | #887 | #888 | -0.1% |
| Count | 39,216 | 38,468 | -1.9% |
| Per 100K | 13.29 | 12.87 | -3.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Moses bearers went from 39,216 to 38,468 (-1.9% change). The surname moved down 1 positions in the national ranking, going from #887 to #888.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Moses
FAQ
Moses surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Moses?
Name Census estimates that about 44,112 living Americans carry the surname Moses. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 7,770 residents.
How common is Moses?
Moses ranks #888 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 12.87 per 100,000 residents, which is about 13 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 38,468 people with the surname Moses. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (44,112), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 12.87 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 12.87 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 13 of them to have the surname Moses.
Has Moses become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Moses went from 39,216 recorded bearers to 38,468. That is a decrease of 748 (-1.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #887 to #888.
What does the Census say about the background of Moses?
Among Census respondents with the surname Moses, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.5%. The next largest groups are Black (33.3%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Moses in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.5% (20,193 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Moses appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (52.5%), Black (33.3%), Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Moses (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 Moses mean?
Derived from the Hebrew name Moshe, which means "drawn out" or "pulled out," likely referring to the Biblical figure. 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 Moses (12.87 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 Moses?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Moses on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.