2000
#2,840
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,580
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.29
Uncommon Last name
Moulton
A locational surname referring to someone from any of the places called Moulton, meaning "settlement on a hill."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,402 Americans carry the last name Moulton. That puts it at #3,005 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.91 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 25,575 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Moulton 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 Moulton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 25,575
Census rank
#3,005
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,687 bearers of the surname Moulton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.91 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3005th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Moulton, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Black (6.0%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Moulton
The surname Moulton has its origins in England, specifically in the medieval period. It is a habitational name, derived from the place name Moulton, which is found in various locations across the country, including Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, and Cheshire.
The earliest recorded spelling of the name dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it was written as "Molestone" and "Mouueltone." These early forms suggest that the name may have originated from the Old English words "mul" (a sandy hill) and "tun" (an enclosure or settlement), indicating that the initial bearers of the name likely resided near a sandy hill or settlement.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Moulton was Sir Thomas Moulton, a prominent English judge who lived in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. He served as the Chief Justice of the King's Bench under King Edward II and played a significant role in the legal proceedings against the Knights Templar.
In the 15th century, Sir John Moulton was a notable figure who served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1453. He was a wealthy merchant and played an influential role in the city's governance during a turbulent period of English history.
During the 16th century, Thomas Moulton (1542-1597) gained recognition as a prominent English lawyer and Member of Parliament. He was a staunch supporter of the Protestant Reformation and served as a legal advisor to Queen Elizabeth I.
In the 17th century, the name Moulton was associated with several notable individuals, including Richard Moulton (1608-1688), who was a prominent Puritan minister and one of the founders of the town of Newbury, Massachusetts, in the early days of the American colonies.
Another notable figure was Thomas Moulton (1629-1696), an English-born American soldier and landowner who played a crucial role in the defense of New England against Native American attacks during King Philip's War in the late 17th century.
As the name spread across England and later to the American colonies, various place names and locations were derived from it, such as Moulton, Northamptonshire; Moulton, Lincolnshire; and Moulton, Cheshire, further reinforcing the surname's connection to specific geographic areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Moulton
Among Census respondents with the surname Moulton, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Black (6.0%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Moulton 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 Moulton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.5% · 9,998
- Black or African American6.0% · 706
- Two or more races3.8% · 447
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 384
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 90
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 62
Timeline
Historical Census data for Moulton
Moulton 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
#2,963
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,104
+524 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 4.10
Rank movement Down 123 places
2020
#3,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,687
-417 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 3.91
Rank movement Down 42 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,840 | 11,580 | 4.29 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,963 | 12,104 | 4.10 | +524 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 123 places |
| 2020 | #3,005 | 11,687 | 3.91 | -417 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 42 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 Moulton 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 | #2,963 | #3,005 | -1.4% |
| Count | 12,104 | 11,687 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 4.10 | 3.91 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Moulton bearers went from 12,104 to 11,687 (-3.4% change). The surname moved down 42 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,963 to #3,005.
FAQ
Moulton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Moulton?
Name Census estimates that about 13,402 living Americans carry the surname Moulton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 25,575 residents.
How common is Moulton?
Moulton ranks #3,005 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.91 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,687 people with the surname Moulton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,402), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.91 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.91 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Moulton.
Has Moulton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Moulton went from 12,104 recorded bearers to 11,687. That is a decrease of 417 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,963 to #3,005.
What does the Census say about the background of Moulton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Moulton, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Black (6.0%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Moulton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.5% (9,998 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Moulton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.5%), Black (6.0%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Moulton (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 Moulton mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from any of the places called Moulton, meaning "settlement on a 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 Moulton (3.91 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 Moulton?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.