2000
#31,592
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 692
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.26
Rare Last name
Mousa
A surname likely originating from the Arabic name Musa (Moses).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,486 Americans carry the last name Mousa. That puts it at #13,429 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 137,874 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mousa 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 Mousa with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 137,874
Census rank
#13,429
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,168 bearers of the surname Mousa in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13429th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mousa, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mousa
The surname Mousa has its origins in the Middle East, specifically in the Arab world. It is derived from the Arabic name Musa, which is the equivalent of the biblical name Moses. Musa is a popular name in Islamic cultures, as it references the revered prophet and leader Moses.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Mousa can be found in medieval Arab manuscripts from the 10th century. These documents mention individuals with the surname, indicating its longstanding presence in the region.
In the 12th century, the name Mousa appears in records from the Fatimid Caliphate, which ruled over parts of North Africa and the Middle East. These records suggest that individuals with this surname held various administrative and scholarly positions within the caliphate.
During the Ottoman Empire's reign, which spanned several centuries, the surname Mousa was prevalent across the vast territories under Ottoman control. This included regions in modern-day Turkey, the Levant, and parts of the Balkans.
One notable figure bearing the surname Mousa was Abu Bakr al-Mousa, a renowned Islamic scholar and mathematician who lived in the 9th century. His contributions to the field of algebra and his treatises on geometry were highly influential during the Golden Age of Islamic civilization.
Another prominent individual was Yahya ibn Mousa al-Nawawi, a Sunni Islamic scholar and jurist who lived in the 13th century. He authored several influential works on Islamic jurisprudence and hadith (sayings of the Prophet Muhammad), which are still widely studied and referenced today.
In the 14th century, the name Mousa appeared in records from the Mamluk Sultanate, which ruled over Egypt, Syria, and parts of the Levant. These records mention individuals with the surname holding various positions, from soldiers and administrators to scholars and poets.
During the Ottoman period, one notable figure was Osman Mousa Pasha, a 17th-century Ottoman statesman and Grand Vizier (prime minister) who played a significant role in the administration of the empire.
In more recent times, the surname Mousa has been associated with several notable figures, including Sami Mousa, a 20th-century Palestinian writer and poet, and Ahmed Mousa, an Egyptian novelist and playwright who lived in the late 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mousa
Among Census respondents with the surname Mousa, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Mousa 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 Mousa surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.3% · 1,893
- Black or African American5.9% · 128
- Two or more races3.9% · 85
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 41
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mousa
Mousa 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
#22,173
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,165
+473 bearers (+68.4%)
Per 100,000 0.39
Rank movement Up 9,419 places
2020
#13,429
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,168
+1,003 bearers (+86.1%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Up 8,744 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #31,592 | 692 | 0.26 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #22,173 | 1,165 | 0.39 | +473 bearers (+68.4%) | Up 9,419 places |
| 2020 | #13,429 | 2,168 | 0.73 | +1,003 bearers (+86.1%) | Up 8,744 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 Mousa 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 | #22,173 | #13,429 | 39.4% |
| Count | 1,165 | 2,168 | 86.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.39 | 0.73 | 86.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mousa bearers went from 1,165 to 2,168 (+86.1% change). The surname moved up 8,744 positions in the national ranking, going from #22,173 to #13,429.
FAQ
Mousa surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mousa?
Name Census estimates that about 2,486 living Americans carry the surname Mousa. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 137,874 residents.
How common is Mousa?
Mousa ranks #13,429 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,168 people with the surname Mousa. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,486), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.73 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Mousa.
Has Mousa become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mousa went from 1,165 recorded bearers to 2,168. That is an increase of 1,003 (+86.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #22,173 to #13,429.
What does the Census say about the background of Mousa?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mousa, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Mousa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.3% (1,893 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mousa appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.3%), Black (5.9%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Mousa (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 Mousa mean?
A surname likely originating from the Arabic name Musa (Moses). 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 Mousa (0.73 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 last name Mousa?
See how many people have the surname Mousa on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.