2000
#8,688
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,482
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.29
Rare Last name
Moton
Derived from the Old English word "mot," meaning a moat or ditch, likely referring to someone who lived near one.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,277 Americans carry the last name Moton. That puts it at #8,486 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.25 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 80,139 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Moton 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 Moton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.3K
1 in 80,139
Census rank
#8,486
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,730 bearers of the surname Moton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.25 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8486th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Moton, the largest self-reported group is Black at 80.5%. The next largest groups are White (8.0%) and Two or More Races (5.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Moton
The surname Moton originated in France during the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "mote," meaning a small hill or mound. This suggests that the name may have been used to identify someone who lived near a motte-and-bailey castle or on a small hill.
In the 12th century, the name Moton appears in various records and manuscripts across northern France, particularly in the regions of Normandy and Picardy. One of the earliest recorded instances is found in the Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Saint-Bertin, a collection of charters from the Abbey of Saint-Bertin in Saint-Omer, which mentions a "Robertus de Moton" in 1174.
The Moton surname is also found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of land ownership and population in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. This suggests that some individuals with this surname may have accompanied the Norman invaders during the conquest of England in 1066.
Over the centuries, the name Moton has undergone various spelling variations, such as Motten, Motton, and Mottone. These variations can often be traced to different regional dialects or scribal errors in historical records.
Notable individuals with the surname Moton include:
1. Jean Moton (c. 1470-1522), a French composer and singer during the Renaissance era.
2. Edmé Moton (1622-1693), a French churchman who served as the Bishop of Bayeux from 1676 until his death.
3. Clement Moton (c. 1590-1659), a French lawyer and writer who authored several works on legal matters.
4. Jacques Moton (1618-1693), a French Jesuit missionary who traveled to New France and worked with the Huron people.
5. Marie-Anne Moton (1737-1819), a French noblewoman and courtier who served as a lady-in-waiting to Queen Marie Antoinette.
While the surname Moton may have originated from a specific geographic location, it has since spread across various regions and countries, primarily through migration and intermarriage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Moton
Among Census respondents with the surname Moton, the largest self-reported group is Black at 80.5%. The next largest groups are White (8.0%) and Two or More Races (5.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Moton 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 Moton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American80.5% · 3,001
- White8.0% · 297
- Two or more races5.9% · 220
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 137
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 65
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Moton
Moton 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
#7,977
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,144
+662 bearers (+19.0%)
Per 100,000 1.40
Rank movement Up 711 places
2020
#8,486
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,730
-414 bearers (-10.0%)
Per 100,000 1.25
Rank movement Down 509 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,688 | 3,482 | 1.29 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,977 | 4,144 | 1.40 | +662 bearers (+19.0%) | Up 711 places |
| 2020 | #8,486 | 3,730 | 1.25 | -414 bearers (-10.0%) | Down 509 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 Moton 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 | #7,977 | #8,486 | -6.4% |
| Count | 4,144 | 3,730 | -10.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.40 | 1.25 | -10.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Moton bearers went from 4,144 to 3,730 (-10.0% change). The surname moved down 509 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,977 to #8,486.
FAQ
Moton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Moton?
Name Census estimates that about 4,277 living Americans carry the surname Moton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 80,139 residents.
How common is Moton?
Moton ranks #8,486 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.25 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 3,730 people with the surname Moton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,277), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.25 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.25 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 Moton.
Has Moton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Moton went from 4,144 recorded bearers to 3,730. That is a decrease of 414 (-10.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,977 to #8,486.
What does the Census say about the background of Moton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Moton, the largest self-reported group is Black at 80.5%. The next largest groups are White (8.0%) and Two or More Races (5.9%). 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 Moton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.5% (3,001 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Moton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (80.5%), White (8.0%), Two or More Races (5.9%). 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 Moton (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 Moton mean?
Derived from the Old English word "mot," meaning a moat or ditch, likely referring to someone who lived near one. 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 Moton (1.25 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 Moton?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Moton is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.