2000
#699
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 44,698
First available Census row
Per 100,000 16.57
Uncommon Last name
Mosley
From the Old English words "mos" meaning "moss" and "leah" meaning "clearing," referring to someone who lived near a mossy clearing.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 52,247 Americans carry the last name Mosley. That puts it at #744 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 15.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 6,560 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mosley 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 Mosley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
52K
1 in 6,560
Census rank
#744
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
15.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
46K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 45,562 bearers of the surname Mosley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 15.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 744th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mosley, the largest self-reported group is Black at 50.9%. The next largest groups are White (39.2%) and Two or More Races (5.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mosley
Among Census respondents with the surname Mosley, the largest self-reported group is Black at 50.9%. The next largest groups are White (39.2%) and Two or More Races (5.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Mosley 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 Mosley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American50.9% · 23,172
- White39.2% · 17,865
- Two or more races5.7% · 2,577
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 1,477
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 259
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 212
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mosley
Mosley 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
#730
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 47,963
+3,265 bearers (+7.3%)
Per 100,000 16.26
Rank movement Down 31 places
2020
#744
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 45,562
-2,401 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 15.24
Rank movement Down 14 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #699 | 44,698 | 16.57 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #730 | 47,963 | 16.26 | +3,265 bearers (+7.3%) | Down 31 places |
| 2020 | #744 | 45,562 | 15.24 | -2,401 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 14 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 Mosley 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 | #730 | #744 | -1.9% |
| Count | 47,963 | 45,562 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 16.26 | 15.24 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mosley bearers went from 47,963 to 45,562 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 14 positions in the national ranking, going from #730 to #744.
FAQ
Mosley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mosley?
Name Census estimates that about 52,247 living Americans carry the surname Mosley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 6,560 residents.
How common is Mosley?
Mosley ranks #744 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 15.24 per 100,000 residents, which is about 15 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 45,562 people with the surname Mosley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (52,247), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 15.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 15.24 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 15 of them to have the surname Mosley.
Has Mosley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mosley went from 47,963 recorded bearers to 45,562. That is a decrease of 2,401 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #730 to #744.
What does the Census say about the background of Mosley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mosley, the largest self-reported group is Black at 50.9%. The next largest groups are White (39.2%) and Two or More Races (5.7%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mosley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.9% (23,172 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mosley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (50.9%), White (39.2%), Two or More Races (5.7%). 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 Mosley (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 Mosley mean?
From the Old English words "mos" meaning "moss" and "leah" meaning "clearing," referring to someone who lived near a mossy clearing. 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 Mosley (15.24 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 common is the surname Mosley?
If you just want to know how common the surname Mosley is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.