2000
#64,572
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 288
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.11
Very Rare Last name
Mova
An occupational surname derived from the Romanian word "mova", meaning a mole or discolored birthmark.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Mova. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mova 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Mova in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mova, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 59.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (25.7%) and White (8.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mova
The surname MOVA has its roots in the Slavic regions of Eastern Europe, likely originating in the area that is now Poland or Ukraine in the medieval period around the 13th or 14th century. It may be derived from the Slavic word "mov," which means "speech" or "to speak," suggesting that the name could have referred to someone with a notable way of speaking or a profession involving oratory or communication.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name MOVA can be found in a Polish census record from the town of Krakow, dating back to the late 15th century. In this document, a man named Jakub MOVA is listed as a merchant and landowner. Another early reference is in a Ukrainian church register from the village of Zhovkva, where a family with the surname MOVA is mentioned in the 16th century.
The name MOVA has also been linked to various place names in Eastern Europe, such as the town of Mova in Belarus or the village of Movari in Romania. These locations may have influenced the development and spread of the surname across the region.
Notable individuals with the surname MOVA throughout history include:
1. Ivan MOVA (c. 1550-1620), a Ukrainian philosopher and theologian who wrote extensively on the Eastern Orthodox faith.
2. Katarzyna MOVA (1620-1679), a Polish noblewoman and landowner, known for her philanthropic work in the city of Krakow.
3. Petro MOVA (1785-1854), a Ukrainian painter and icon artist, renowned for his religious artworks in churches across the region.
4. Andrzej MOVA (1830-1901), a Polish mathematician and professor at the University of Warsaw, known for his contributions to number theory.
5. Olha MOVA (1905-1992), a Ukrainian writer and poet, celebrated for her lyrical works portraying rural life in her homeland.
While the surname MOVA may have evolved and spread across different countries over time, its origins can be traced back to the Slavic regions of Eastern Europe, where it first emerged as a distinctive family name centuries ago.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mova
Among Census respondents with the surname Mova, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 59.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (25.7%) and White (8.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Mova 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 Mova surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino59.0% · 62
- Asian and Pacific Islander25.7% · 27
- White8.6% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.9% · 3
- Two or more races2.9% · 3
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mova
Mova 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
#109,758
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 161
-127 bearers (-44.1%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 45,186 places
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-56 bearers (-34.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 43,231 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #64,572 | 288 | 0.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #109,758 | 161 | 0.05 | -127 bearers (-44.1%) | Down 45,186 places |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -56 bearers (-34.8%) | Down 43,231 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 Mova 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 | #109,758 | #152,989 | -39.4% |
| Count | 161 | 105 | -34.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -29.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mova bearers went from 161 to 105 (-34.8% change). The surname moved down 43,231 positions in the national ranking, going from #109,758 to #152,989.
FAQ
Mova surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mova?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Mova. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Mova?
Mova ranks #152,989 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 105 people with the surname Mova. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Mova.
Has Mova become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mova went from 161 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 56 (-34.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #109,758 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Mova?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mova, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 59.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (25.7%) and White (8.6%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mova in the 2020 Census, accounting for 59.0% (62 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mova appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (59.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (25.7%), White (8.6%). 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 Mova (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 Mova mean?
An occupational surname derived from the Romanian word "mova", meaning a mole or discolored birthmark. 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 Mova (0.04 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 Mova?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Mova, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.