2000
#9,036
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,326
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.23
Rare Last name
Motes
Derived from the Middle English word "mote," referring to a small particle of dust or a speck.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,792 Americans carry the last name Motes. That puts it at #9,421 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 90,389 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Motes 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
3.8K
1 in 90,389
Census rank
#9,421
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,307 bearers of the surname Motes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9421st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Motes, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) and Hispanic (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Motes
The surname Motes has its origins in England, where it first appeared in the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word 'mot', which means a small particle or speck. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who worked with small particles or specks, perhaps in a trade or occupation.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1275, where a John le Mote is mentioned. The use of the prefix 'le' suggests that the name was originally a descriptive nickname or occupational name.
In the 14th century, the name appears in various records with slightly different spellings, such as 'Motte', 'Mote', and 'Moote'. These variations were common during this time, as standardized spelling was not yet established.
The Motes surname is also associated with several place names in England, such as Mote Hill in Kent and Mote Park in Maidstone. These locations may have been named after people with the Motes surname or vice versa.
One notable bearer of the Motes surname was Sir William Motes (c.1420-1492), a prominent landowner and Member of Parliament for Cambridgeshire during the Wars of the Roses. Another was John Motes (c.1540-1592), an English composer and organist who served at the Chapel Royal during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
Other historically significant individuals with the Motes surname include:
1. Thomas Motes (c.1660-1736), an English architect and surveyor who worked on several important buildings in London, including St. Paul's Cathedral.
2. Mary Motes (1725-1803), a British philanthropist and abolitionist who campaigned against the slave trade and founded several schools for underprivileged children.
3. Edward Motes (1801-1879), a British naturalist and explorer who documented numerous plant and animal species in South America.
4. William Motes (1839-1911), an American Civil War veteran and politician who served as the 14th Governor of Indiana from 1901 to 1905.
5. Alice Motes (1876-1962), an American author and women's rights advocate, best known for her novel "The Awakening" which explored themes of female identity and personal freedom.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Motes
Among Census respondents with the surname Motes, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) and Hispanic (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Motes 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 Motes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.6% · 2,763
- Black or African American5.9% · 195
- Hispanic or Latino5.2% · 173
- Two or more races4.1% · 135
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 26
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Motes
Motes 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
#9,006
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,631
+305 bearers (+9.2%)
Per 100,000 1.23
Rank movement Up 30 places
2020
#9,421
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,307
-324 bearers (-8.9%)
Per 100,000 1.11
Rank movement Down 415 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,036 | 3,326 | 1.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,006 | 3,631 | 1.23 | +305 bearers (+9.2%) | Up 30 places |
| 2020 | #9,421 | 3,307 | 1.11 | -324 bearers (-8.9%) | Down 415 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 Motes 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 | #9,006 | #9,421 | -4.6% |
| Count | 3,631 | 3,307 | -8.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.23 | 1.11 | -10.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Motes bearers went from 3,631 to 3,307 (-8.9% change). The surname moved down 415 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,006 to #9,421.
FAQ
Motes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Motes?
Name Census estimates that about 3,792 living Americans carry the surname Motes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 90,389 residents.
How common is Motes?
Motes ranks #9,421 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.11 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,307 people with the surname Motes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,792), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.11 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Motes.
Has Motes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Motes went from 3,631 recorded bearers to 3,307. That is a decrease of 324 (-8.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,006 to #9,421.
What does the Census say about the background of Motes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Motes, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) and Hispanic (5.2%). 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 Motes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.6% (2,763 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Motes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.6%), Black (5.9%), Hispanic (5.2%). 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 Motes (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 Motes mean?
Derived from the Middle English word "mote," referring to a small particle of dust or a speck. 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 Motes (1.11 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 Americans have the surname Motes?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.