Find out how popular the last name Mosley is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Mosley.

Mosley, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Mosley surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Mosley in America

Mosley is the 730th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Mosley surname appeared 47,963 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 16 people would have the surname Mosley.

We can also compare 2010 data for Mosley to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Mosley

The surname Mosley is of English origin and dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "mos" meaning "moss" and "leah" meaning "clearing" or "meadow". This suggests the name originally referred to someone who lived near a mossy clearing or meadow.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is spelled "Muslega" and refers to a place name in Staffordshire. Other early spellings include Museleie, Muselea, and Museley.

The name Mosley is closely associated with the village of Moseley in the West Midlands, which was first mentioned in the Domesday Book as "Muslei". It is believed that some of the earliest bearers of the surname may have originated from this area.

In the 13th century, a William de Museleye is recorded as holding lands in Staffordshire. Another early bearer of the name was John de Museley, who is mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire in 1279.

Oswald Mosley (1896-1980), the infamous British politician and founder of the British Union of Fascists, is perhaps the most well-known individual with this surname. His controversial political views and activities during the 1930s and World War II have made him a controversial figure in British history.

Another notable Mosley was Sir Oswald Mosley (1597-1675), an English politician and landowner who served as Lord Lieutenant of Staffordshire. He played a prominent role in the English Civil War, initially supporting the Parliamentarian cause before switching sides to the Royalists.

Michael Mosley (born 1957) is a contemporary British journalist, broadcaster, and former medical doctor. He is best known for his work on television shows such as "Trust Me, I'm a Doctor" and for popularizing the 5:2 diet.

Walter Mosley (born 1952) is an American novelist and playwright, best known for his popular crime fiction series featuring the character Easy Rawlins. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential contemporary African American writers.

Lastly, Nicholas Mosley (1923-2017) was a British novelist and biographer, known for his works such as "Hopeful Monsters" and biographies of his father, Sir Oswald Mosley, and his uncle, the writer Max Mosley.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Mosley

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Mosley.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Mosley was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Mosley has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Mosley was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Mosley, please contact us.

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