2000
#31,235
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 702
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.26
Very Rare Last name
Mourning
An English surname potentially derived from the Old French "morne" meaning gloomy or sad.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 933 Americans carry the last name Mourning. That puts it at #30,661 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 367,368 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mourning 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
933
1 in 367,368
Census rank
#30,661
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
814
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 814 bearers of the surname Mourning in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 30661st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mourning, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.8%. The next largest groups are Black (27.5%) and Hispanic (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mourning
The surname MOURNING is of English origin, dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "murnan," meaning "to mourn" or "to grieve." The name likely referred to an occupation or personality trait related to mourning or grief.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the MOURNING surname can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which lists a "Willelmus le Mournand" in Oxfordshire. This early spelling variation highlights the evolution of the name over time.
During the medieval period, the MOURNING name appeared in various records and manuscripts. For instance, a "John Mourning" is mentioned in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, dating back to 1348.
In the 16th century, the MOURNING surname was found in areas such as Gloucestershire and Wiltshire. The Subsidy Rolls of 1523 for Gloucestershire list a "Thomas Mornying," while the Wiltshire Musters of 1539 mention a "John Mournyng."
Notable individuals with the MOURNING surname include:
1. William Mourning (c. 1520 - 1592), an English clergyman and academic who served as the President of Magdalen College, Oxford.
2. John Mourning (1644 - 1718), an English merchant and philanthropist from Bristol, known for his charitable endeavors in the city.
3. Elizabeth Mourning (1678 - 1755), a British landowner and philanthropist who bequeathed funds for the establishment of a school in Staffordshire.
4. Thomas Mourning (1735 - 1812), an English inventor and clockmaker from Shropshire, known for his innovative timepiece designs.
5. Richard Mourning (1786 - 1861), a British soldier who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a successful businessman in London.
The MOURNING surname has also been associated with various place names, such as Mourning Quarter in Gloucestershire and Mourning Farm in Wiltshire, reflecting the historical presence of families bearing this name in those regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mourning
Among Census respondents with the surname Mourning, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.8%. The next largest groups are Black (27.5%) and Hispanic (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Mourning 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 Mourning surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White62.8% · 511
- Black or African American27.5% · 224
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 38
- Two or more races4.3% · 35
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mourning
Mourning 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
#29,793
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 789
+87 bearers (+12.4%)
Per 100,000 0.27
Rank movement Up 1,442 places
2020
#30,661
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 814
+25 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.27
Rank movement Down 868 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #31,235 | 702 | 0.26 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #29,793 | 789 | 0.27 | +87 bearers (+12.4%) | Up 1,442 places |
| 2020 | #30,661 | 814 | 0.27 | +25 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 868 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 Mourning 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 | #29,793 | #30,661 | -2.9% |
| Count | 789 | 814 | 3.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.27 | 0.27 | 0.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mourning bearers went from 789 to 814 (+3.2% change). The surname moved down 868 positions in the national ranking, going from #29,793 to #30,661.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mourning
FAQ
Mourning surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mourning?
Name Census estimates that about 933 living Americans carry the surname Mourning. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 367,368 residents.
How common is Mourning?
Mourning ranks #30,661 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.27 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 814 people with the surname Mourning. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (933), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.27 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 Mourning.
Has Mourning become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mourning went from 789 recorded bearers to 814. That is an increase of 25 (+3.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #29,793 to #30,661.
What does the Census say about the background of Mourning?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mourning, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.8%. The next largest groups are Black (27.5%) and Hispanic (4.7%). 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 Mourning in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.8% (511 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mourning appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (62.8%), Black (27.5%), Hispanic (4.7%). 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 Mourning (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 Mourning mean?
An English surname potentially derived from the Old French "morne" meaning gloomy or sad. 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 Mourning (0.27 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 Mourning?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Mourning on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.