2000
#9,811
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,044
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.13
Rare Last name
Mouser
An occupational surname referring to a person who catches mice or a maker of mousetraps.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,304 Americans carry the last name Mouser. That puts it at #10,611 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.96 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 103,739 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mouser 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 Mouser with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.3K
1 in 103,739
Census rank
#10,611
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,881 bearers of the surname Mouser in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.96 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10611th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mouser, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mouser
The surname Mouser is of Anglo-Saxon origin, emerging in England during the medieval period. It derives from the Middle English word "mous" meaning mouse, and the Old English suffix "-ere" denoting an occupation or trade. Thus, Mouser originally referred to a person who caught or trapped mice, likely employed in households, granaries, or areas where mice posed a threat.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Mouser appears in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire, dated 1273, where one William le Musere is mentioned. This early spelling variation highlights the occupational nature of the surname.
In the 14th century, the Mouser name can be found in various taxation records and manor court rolls across England. Notably, a John Mouser is recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1332, suggesting the name's presence in the southern counties.
The Domesday Book, the great survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain the Mouser surname. However, it does include several references to individuals bearing the occupational byname "Musard," which may have been a precursor to the modern Mouser name.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Mouser surname was Robert Mouser, a landowner in Warwickshire who was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of 1381. Another early figure was John Mouser, a merchant from York who was recorded in the city's Freemen's Roll in 1420.
During the 16th century, the Mouser name gained prominence with the birth of John Mouser (1510-1579), a renowned scholar and theologian who served as the Bishop of Winchester. His contributions to the Church of England and his scholarly works on theology solidified the Mouser name in the annals of English history.
In the 17th century, one notable bearer of the Mouser surname was William Mouser (1628-1701), a successful merchant and alderman in the city of Bristol. His involvement in civic affairs and his substantial wealth helped establish the Mouser family as a respected lineage in the region.
Another significant figure was Thomas Mouser (1675-1742), a member of the Royal Society and a pioneering naturalist. His extensive studies on the flora and fauna of the British Isles earned him recognition among the scientific community of his time.
The Mouser surname has also been associated with several place names throughout England, such as Mouser's Green in Hertfordshire and Mouser's Hill in Gloucestershire. These locations may have derived their names from early settlers bearing the Mouser surname or from the occupational association with mouse-catching activities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mouser
Among Census respondents with the surname Mouser, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Mouser 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 Mouser surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.4% · 2,605
- Two or more races4.6% · 133
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 87
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 33
- Black or African American0.4% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mouser
Mouser 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
#10,224
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,153
+109 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 1.07
Rank movement Down 413 places
2020
#10,611
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,881
-272 bearers (-8.6%)
Per 100,000 0.96
Rank movement Down 387 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,811 | 3,044 | 1.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,224 | 3,153 | 1.07 | +109 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 413 places |
| 2020 | #10,611 | 2,881 | 0.96 | -272 bearers (-8.6%) | Down 387 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 Mouser 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 | #10,224 | #10,611 | -3.8% |
| Count | 3,153 | 2,881 | -8.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.07 | 0.96 | -9.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mouser bearers went from 3,153 to 2,881 (-8.6% change). The surname moved down 387 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,224 to #10,611.
FAQ
Mouser surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mouser?
Name Census estimates that about 3,304 living Americans carry the surname Mouser. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 103,739 residents.
How common is Mouser?
Mouser ranks #10,611 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.96 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 2,881 people with the surname Mouser. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,304), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.96 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.96 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 Mouser.
Has Mouser become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mouser went from 3,153 recorded bearers to 2,881. That is a decrease of 272 (-8.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,224 to #10,611.
What does the Census say about the background of Mouser?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mouser, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Mouser in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.4% (2,605 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mouser appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.4%), Two or More Races (4.6%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Mouser (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 Mouser mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who catches mice or a maker of mousetraps. 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 Mouser (0.96 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 Mouser?
See how common the surname Mouser is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.