2010
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Moshref
An Arabic surname meaning one who provides guidance or direction.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Moshref. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Moshref 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Moshref in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Moshref, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 64.3%. The next largest groups are White (27.7%) and Two or More Races (8.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Moshref
The surname "MOSHREF" is believed to have originated in the Middle East, possibly in regions like Iran or surrounding areas. It is likely derived from the Arabic word "mushrif," which means "overseer" or "supervisor." The name's origins can be traced back to the medieval period, around the 7th to 13th centuries CE.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "MOSHREF" can be found in ancient Persian manuscripts and records from the Abbasid Caliphate era, which ruled vast territories spanning from modern-day Iran to parts of North Africa between the 8th and 13th centuries. These documents often mentioned individuals with this surname who held positions of authority or oversaw various administrative tasks.
During the Seljuk Empire, which ruled over parts of the Middle East and Central Asia from the 11th to the 13th century, there are historical references to several notable figures bearing the surname "MOSHREF." One such individual was Moshref al-Din Mohammad, a renowned scholar and poet who lived in the 12th century and served as a court advisor to the Seljuk Sultan Sanjar.
In the 14th century, the name "MOSHREF" appeared in records from the Timurid Dynasty, which ruled over modern-day Iran, Central Asia, and parts of South Asia. One prominent figure from this era was Moshref al-Din Ali, a highly respected jurist and legal scholar who served as the chief judge (qadi) in the city of Herat during the reign of Timur (Tamerlane).
Another notable figure with the surname "MOSHREF" was Moshref al-Din Samarkandi, a 15th-century mathematician and astronomer from Samarkand (modern-day Uzbekistan). He made significant contributions to the fields of geometry and trigonometry and is credited with developing advanced mathematical concepts and theories.
In more recent history, there have been several individuals with the surname "MOSHREF" who have achieved prominence in various fields. For instance, Moshref Ghazi (1888-1970) was an Iranian politician and diplomat who served as the Prime Minister of Iran from 1951 to 1952. Additionally, Moshref Dehlavi (1912-1996) was a renowned Indian poet and writer who wrote extensively in Urdu and Persian languages.
While the surname "MOSHREF" is not as common today as it may have been in the past, its historical roots can be traced back to the Middle Eastern region, where it was associated with positions of authority, scholarship, and intellectual pursuits during various significant periods in history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Moshref
Among Census respondents with the surname Moshref, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 64.3%. The next largest groups are White (27.7%) and Two or More Races (8.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Moshref 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 Moshref surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander64.3% · 72
- White27.7% · 31
- Two or more races8.0% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Moshref
Moshref 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
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+6 bearers (+5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,815 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.7%) | Up 5,815 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 Moshref 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 | #153,769 | #147,954 | 3.8% |
| Count | 106 | 112 | 5.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Moshref bearers went from 106 to 112 (+5.7% change). The surname moved up 5,815 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #147,954.
FAQ
Moshref surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Moshref?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Moshref. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Moshref?
Moshref ranks #147,954 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 112 people with the surname Moshref. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), 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 Moshref.
Has Moshref become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Moshref went from 106 recorded bearers to 112. That is an increase of 6 (+5.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Moshref?
Among Census respondents with the surname Moshref, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 64.3%. The next largest groups are White (27.7%) and Two or More Races (8.0%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Moshref in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.3% (72 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Moshref appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (64.3%), White (27.7%), Two or More Races (8.0%). 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 Moshref (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 Moshref mean?
An Arabic surname meaning one who provides guidance or direction. 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 Moshref (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 surname Moshref?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.