2000
#6,213
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,070
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.88
Rare Last name
Moskowitz
A Jewish surname referring to a person from Moscow, Russia, or an ancestor who came from there.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,879 Americans carry the last name Moskowitz. That puts it at #6,377 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 58,301 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Moskowitz 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
5.9K
1 in 58,301
Census rank
#6,377
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,127 bearers of the surname Moskowitz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6377th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Moskowitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.2%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Moskowitz
The surname Moskowitz originates from the Slavic regions of Eastern Europe, particularly Russia and Ukraine, during the 17th and 18th centuries. It is derived from the Russian word "moskovskiy," meaning "from Moscow," indicating that the earliest bearers of this name likely hailed from or resided in the city of Moscow or its surrounding areas.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Moskowitz can be found in the Russian census records of the late 1700s, where it appeared as "Moskovitz" or "Moskovits." The name's spelling variations were influenced by the phonetic transcription from Cyrillic to Latin script, as well as regional dialects and linguistic adaptations.
Moskowitz is a Jewish surname, and some of the earliest known bearers were members of Jewish communities in Russia and Ukraine. During the 19th century, many Moskowitz families migrated westward to escape persecution and seek better opportunities, settling in various parts of Europe and eventually immigrating to the United States and other countries.
Notable individuals with the surname Moskowitz include:
1. Ira Moskowitz (1912-2001), an American writer and screenwriter known for his work on films like "The Naked City" and "Hang 'Em High."
2. Herman Moskowitz (1885-1951), a Russian-born American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Hebrew Free Loan Society of New York.
3. Seymour Moskowitz (1919-1997), an American violinist and music educator who served as the concertmaster of the New York City Opera Orchestra.
4. Eva Moskowitz (born 1964), an American educator and the founder of Success Academy Charter Schools, a prominent charter school network in New York City.
5. Chaim Moskowitz (1917-1998), a Polish-born American rabbi and scholar who served as the head of the Yeshiva Toras Chaim in Lakewood, New Jersey.
While the surname Moskowitz has its roots in Eastern Europe, it has since spread across the globe, carried by generations of families who have contributed to various fields and communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Moskowitz
Among Census respondents with the surname Moskowitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.2%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Moskowitz 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 Moskowitz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.6% · 4,848
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 114
- Two or more races1.6% · 84
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 39
- Black or African American0.7% · 35
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Moskowitz
Moskowitz 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
#6,412
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,304
+234 bearers (+4.6%)
Per 100,000 1.80
Rank movement Down 199 places
2020
#6,377
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,127
-177 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 1.72
Rank movement Up 35 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,213 | 5,070 | 1.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,412 | 5,304 | 1.80 | +234 bearers (+4.6%) | Down 199 places |
| 2020 | #6,377 | 5,127 | 1.72 | -177 bearers (-3.3%) | Up 35 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 Moskowitz 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 | #6,412 | #6,377 | 0.5% |
| Count | 5,304 | 5,127 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.80 | 1.72 | -4.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Moskowitz bearers went from 5,304 to 5,127 (-3.3% change). The surname moved up 35 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,412 to #6,377.
FAQ
Moskowitz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Moskowitz?
Name Census estimates that about 5,879 living Americans carry the surname Moskowitz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 58,301 residents.
How common is Moskowitz?
Moskowitz ranks #6,377 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.72 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,127 people with the surname Moskowitz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,879), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.72 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Moskowitz.
Has Moskowitz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Moskowitz went from 5,304 recorded bearers to 5,127. That is a decrease of 177 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,412 to #6,377.
What does the Census say about the background of Moskowitz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Moskowitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.2%) and Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Moskowitz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.6% (4,848 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Moskowitz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.6%), Hispanic (2.2%), Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Moskowitz (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 Moskowitz mean?
A Jewish surname referring to a person from Moscow, Russia, or an ancestor who came from there. 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 Moskowitz (1.72 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 Moskowitz?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Moskowitz at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.