2000
#149,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Mough
A surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from a place name or an occupational term.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Mough. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mough 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Mough in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mough, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mough
The surname MOUGH is of English origin, with roots traced back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated from the Old English word "mug," meaning a hill or mound, suggesting that the name was initially given to someone who lived near or on a prominent hillock.
In ancient records, the name appears with various spellings, such as Moughe, Moughe, and Mowghe, reflecting the inconsistencies in spelling during that era. One of the earliest documented instances of the name is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is recorded as "Mouga" in the county of Gloucestershire.
During the 13th century, the surname MOUGH emerged in several regions of England, particularly in the counties of Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, and Oxfordshire. It is believed that the name was initially locational, referring to specific places or settlements near hills or mounds.
Notable individuals bearing the MOUGH surname include John Mough, a merchant from Bristol who lived in the late 15th century, and William Mough, a landowner from Gloucestershire in the 16th century. Another prominent figure was Robert Mough, a scholar and writer who authored a treatise on English grammar in the early 17th century.
In the 18th century, the name was associated with the village of Mough in Worcestershire, which derived its name from the Old English word "mug." A notable resident was Thomas Mough (1712-1789), a prominent farmer and landowner in the region.
The MOUGH surname also has connections to place names like Moughton, a village in Buckinghamshire, and Moughton Fell, a hill in Cumbria. These place names likely influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.
Other notable individuals with the MOUGH surname include Mary Mough (1825-1901), an educator and women's rights activist from Oxfordshire, and John Mough (1879-1942), a renowned architect who designed several landmark buildings in London during the early 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mough
Among Census respondents with the surname Mough, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Mough 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 Mough surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.1% · 112
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 4
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mough
Mough 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+14 bearers (+13.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,187 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+4 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,353 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #149,328 | 101 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | +14 bearers (+13.9%) | Up 5,187 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.5%) | Up 1,353 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 Mough 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 | #144,141 | #142,788 | 0.9% |
| Count | 115 | 119 | 3.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mough bearers went from 115 to 119 (+3.5% change). The surname moved up 1,353 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #142,788.
FAQ
Mough surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mough?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Mough. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Mough?
Mough ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Mough. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Mough.
Has Mough become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mough went from 115 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 4 (+3.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #144,141 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Mough?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mough, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Mough in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mough appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.1%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Mough (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 Mough mean?
A surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from a place name or an occupational term. 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 Mough (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 Mough?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.