Find out how popular the last name Moura is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Moura.

Moura, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Moura surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Moura in America

Moura is the 13976th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Moura surname appeared 2,157 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Moura.

We can also compare 2010 data for Moura to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Moura

The surname Moura has its origins in Portugal, where it first emerged in the 14th century. It is believed to be derived from the Portuguese word "moura," which means "Moorish" or "Muslim," referring to the Moors who ruled parts of the Iberian Peninsula for several centuries. The name may have been given to those who had connections with the Moorish culture or who lived in areas formerly under Moorish rule.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Moura can be found in medieval Portuguese documents from the 15th century. During this time, the name was often associated with noble families and individuals of prominence in Portuguese society. For example, João de Moura was a prominent military commander who served under King João II in the late 15th century.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Moura surname began to spread beyond Portugal's borders as Portuguese explorers and settlers established colonies in various parts of the world. One notable figure from this period was Diogo de Moura Corte-Real, a Portuguese navigator and explorer who led expeditions to the northern regions of North America in the late 16th century.

As the Portuguese empire expanded, the surname Moura became associated with various place names and locations across the globe. For instance, Moura, a town in southern Portugal, and Moura, a municipality in Brazil, both bear this name, likely due to the influence of early Portuguese settlers in these areas.

Throughout history, several individuals with the surname Moura have left their mark in various fields. In the 19th century, José Joaquim de Moura Coutinho was a Brazilian politician and diplomat who played a crucial role in the independence movement of Brazil. Another notable figure was Manuel de Moura Filho, a Brazilian writer and journalist who lived from 1893 to 1952.

In the 20th century, the surname Moura gained further recognition with individuals such as Viriato da Cruz Moura, a Portuguese writer and literary critic born in 1939, and Helder Moura Pereira, a Portuguese film director and screenwriter born in 1964. Additionally, Flávio Moura, a Brazilian footballer who played in the 1970s and 1980s, and Lúcia Moura, a Brazilian actress and singer born in 1975, have also carried this surname with distinction.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Moura

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Moura.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Moura was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Moura has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Moura was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Moura, please contact us.

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