Moskey
A habitational surname indicating someone from the town of Mosk or Moskou near Moscow, Russia.
According to the 2000 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 171 Americans carry the last name Moskey. That puts it at #124,872 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,004,411 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Moskey 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.
Moskey appeared in the 2000 Census surname file but was not included in the published 2020 file. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames with at least 100 recorded bearers, so this usually means the name fell below that threshold.
Bearers in the US
171
1 in 2,004,411
Census rank
#124,872
2000 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
127
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 127 bearers of the surname Moskey in its 2000 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 124872nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Moskey, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Black (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Moskey
The surname Moskey has its origins in Eastern Europe, specifically within the regions that now encompass Poland, Russia, and Ukraine. The name is believed to have emerged in the late medieval period, around the 14th or 15th century. It is possibly derived from a local or toponymic name related to a specific area or landmark.
Etymologically, the name Moskey could be related to the Slavic root "mosk-", which may be connected to terms associated with rivers or wet, marshy areas. This is supported by the presence of similar-sounding place names in Eastern Europe, such as Moscow (Moskva) in Russia. Various old spellings of the surname, including Moski and Moskei, have been documented in historical manuscripts.
Historical references to the name Moskey appear infrequently but provide valuable insights. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in a 16th-century Polish record from 1563, documenting a land transaction involving a Jan Moskey. This suggests that individuals with this surname were landholders and possibly minor nobility or affluent peasant landowners.
Another notable figure is Igor Moskey, who served as a local magistrate in Kiev in the late 17th century, specifically around 1682. His leadership roles and engagements in civic duties highlight the involvement of those with the Moskey surname in governance and public administration.
In the 18th century, Aleksandra Moskey, born in 1710 and died in 1778, gained recognition as a poet and folk storyteller in Poland. Her works, particularly those preserved in oral tradition, contributed to the cultural heritage of the region, emphasizing the literary roles of individuals with the surname.
The military records from the Napoleonic Wars mention a Lieutenant Petr Moskey, who served in the Russian Imperial Army. Born in 1775 and active until his death in 1812, Petr Moskey participated in significant battles, including the Battle of Borodino in 1812, marking the involvement of individuals with this surname in historical military conflicts.
In the late 19th century, Anna Moskey, born in 1854 in Galicia, became a renowned social activist and educator. Her efforts in promoting education and social reform among the rural poor left a lasting impact on the community, demonstrating the surname's association with notable contributions to social development.
Throughout history, individuals bearing the Moskey surname have played various roles in society, from land administration and military service to cultural and social advancements. The name's longevity and presence in historical records highlight its significance in the regions of its origin.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Moskey
Among Census respondents with the surname Moskey, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Black (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Moskey bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2000 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 Moskey surname at the time of the 2000 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.3%
- Black or African American3.9%
- Unknown or suppressed0.8%
FAQ
Moskey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Moskey?
Name Census estimates that about 171 living Americans carry the surname Moskey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,004,411 residents.
How common is Moskey?
Moskey ranks #124,872 in the 2000 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 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 2000 Census file counted 127 people with the surname Moskey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (171), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 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 Moskey.
Has Moskey become more or less common over time?
Moskey appears here with 2000 Census data. When additional surname-file years are available for this name, Name Census uses them to show longer-term movement in rank and bearer count.
What does the Census say about the background of Moskey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Moskey, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Black (3.9%). These figures come from the 2000 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 Moskey in the 2000 Census, accounting for 95.3%.
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Moskey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2000 file are White (95.3%), Black (3.9%).
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Not necessarily. Moskey appears here with 2000 Census data, while the latest surname file loaded on Name Census is 2020. When a surname drops below the Census publication threshold, older rows can still be kept for historical reference even if the name no longer appears in the newest file.
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 Moskey mean?
A habitational surname indicating someone from the town of Mosk or Moskou near Moscow, Russia. 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 2000 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 Moskey (0.05 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 Moskey?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.