2000
#109,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 150
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Moug
A surname of Scottish origin denoting someone who lived on a mound or hill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Moug. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Moug 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 Moug with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Moug in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Moug, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.0%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Moug
The surname MOUG is of Scottish origin, originating in the 12th century from the region of Moray in northeastern Scotland. The name is believed to derive from the Scottish Gaelic word "mog," meaning "servant" or "one who is humble." It is thought to have been a nickname or descriptive name given to someone who exhibited such qualities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the MOUG surname can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a historical document containing the names of Scottish noblemen and landowners who were forced to swear allegiance to King Edward I of England. The name appears as "Moge" in this record.
The MOUG name has also been found in various historical records throughout the centuries, including the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from the 14th century and the Register of the Great Seal of Scotland from the 16th century.
In terms of notable individuals with the MOUG surname, one of the earliest was John Moug (c. 1550-1625), a Scottish clergyman and academic who served as the Principal of St. Leonard's College at the University of St. Andrews.
Another prominent figure was Robert Moug (1711-1782), a Scottish mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1752.
In the 19th century, William Moug (1805-1885) was a Scottish botanist who specialized in the study of mosses and lichens. He published several works on the subject, including The Bryologia Britannica, which became a seminal text in the field.
Moving into the 20th century, there was James Moug (1899-1978), a Scottish artist known for his landscapes and portraits. His works are held in various collections, including the National Galleries of Scotland.
Finally, one cannot overlook the legacy of Robert Moug (1923-2005), a prominent Scottish businessman and philanthropist. He founded the successful Moug Group of companies and donated generously to various charitable causes, particularly in the fields of education and healthcare.
While the MOUG surname is not among the most common in Scotland, its history and legacy have left an indelible mark across various fields, from academia and science to art and business.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Moug
Among Census respondents with the surname Moug, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.0%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Moug 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 Moug surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.5% · 102
- Two or more races7.0% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Moug
Moug 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
#126,018
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 136
-14 bearers (-9.3%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 16,690 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-22 bearers (-16.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 20,477 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #109,328 | 150 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #126,018 | 136 | 0.05 | -14 bearers (-9.3%) | Down 16,690 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -22 bearers (-16.2%) | Down 20,477 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 Moug 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 | #126,018 | #146,495 | -16.2% |
| Count | 136 | 114 | -16.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -23.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Moug bearers went from 136 to 114 (-16.2% change). The surname moved down 20,477 positions in the national ranking, going from #126,018 to #146,495.
FAQ
Moug surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Moug?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Moug. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Moug?
Moug ranks #146,495 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 114 people with the surname Moug. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Moug.
Has Moug become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Moug went from 136 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 22 (-16.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #126,018 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Moug?
Among Census respondents with the surname Moug, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.0%) and Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Moug in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.5% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Moug appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.5%), Two or More Races (7.0%), Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Moug (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 Moug mean?
A surname of Scottish origin denoting someone who lived on a mound or hill. 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 Moug (0.04 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 surname Moug?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.