2000
#70,906
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 257
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.10
Very Rare Last name
Moustakas
A Greek surname derived from the word "moustaki" meaning little mustache or moustache wearer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 347 Americans carry the last name Moustakas. That puts it at #69,752 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 987,765 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Moustakas 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
347
1 in 987,765
Census rank
#69,752
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
303
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 303 bearers of the surname Moustakas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 69752nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Moustakas, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.6%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Moustakas
The surname Moustakas originates from Greece and dates back to the Byzantine era. It is derived from the Greek word "moustaki," which means "little mustache" or "moustache." This suggests that the name may have been given as a nickname to someone with a prominent mustache or a distinctive facial hair style.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Moustakas can be found in the records of the Greek Orthodox Church on the island of Crete, where it was used to identify individuals from as early as the 16th century. The name was also present in other parts of Greece, particularly in the Peloponnese region and on some of the Aegean islands.
In the late 18th century, a notable figure named Ioannis Moustakas (1753-1825) was a Greek merchant and shipowner from the island of Chios. He played a significant role in the Greek War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire, contributing financially and providing ships to transport supplies and troops.
Another historical figure with the surname Moustakas was Petros Moustakas (1831-1899), a Greek politician and journalist from the Peloponnese region. He was a prominent figure in the Greek nationalist movement and served as a member of the Greek Parliament in the late 19th century.
In the 20th century, one of the most well-known individuals with the Moustakas surname was Konstantinos Moustakas (1913-1995), a renowned Greek composer and conductor. He composed numerous works for the Greek National Opera and was renowned for his contributions to the preservation and promotion of Greek musical traditions.
Another notable Moustakas was Georgios Moustakas (1905-1988), a Greek painter and sculptor who was part of the modernist movement in Greek art. His works are displayed in several museums and galleries throughout Greece and Europe.
More recently, Mike Moustakas (born 1988) is a professional baseball player from California who has played for teams like the Kansas City Royals and the Milwaukee Brewers in Major League Baseball. He was an All-Star in 2015 and won the World Series with the Royals in 2015.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Moustakas
Among Census respondents with the surname Moustakas, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.6%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Moustakas 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 Moustakas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.1% · 267
- Hispanic or Latino6.6% · 20
- Two or more races4.3% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Moustakas
Moustakas 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
#67,943
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 290
+33 bearers (+12.8%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Up 2,963 places
2020
#69,752
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 303
+13 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Down 1,809 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #70,906 | 257 | 0.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #67,943 | 290 | 0.10 | +33 bearers (+12.8%) | Up 2,963 places |
| 2020 | #69,752 | 303 | 0.10 | +13 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 1,809 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 Moustakas 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 | #67,943 | #69,752 | -2.7% |
| Count | 290 | 303 | 4.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.10 | 0.10 | 1.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Moustakas bearers went from 290 to 303 (+4.5% change). The surname moved down 1,809 positions in the national ranking, going from #67,943 to #69,752.
FAQ
Moustakas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Moustakas?
Name Census estimates that about 347 living Americans carry the surname Moustakas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 987,765 residents.
How common is Moustakas?
Moustakas ranks #69,752 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.10 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 303 people with the surname Moustakas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (347), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.10 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 Moustakas.
Has Moustakas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Moustakas went from 290 recorded bearers to 303. That is an increase of 13 (+4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #67,943 to #69,752.
What does the Census say about the background of Moustakas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Moustakas, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.6%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Moustakas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.1% (267 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Moustakas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.1%), Hispanic (6.6%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Moustakas (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 Moustakas mean?
A Greek surname derived from the word "moustaki" meaning little mustache or moustache wearer. 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 Moustakas (0.10 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 surname Moustakas?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.