2000
#147,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Mowday
A locational surname derived from a place name likely meaning "high meadow".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Mowday. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mowday 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Mowday in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mowday, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mowday
The surname MOWDAY is of English origin and dates back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English words "mowe" meaning "a barn" and "day" meaning "a dairy worker". Together, the two words combined to form the occupational surname MOWDAY, referring to someone who worked in a barn or dairy.
MOWDAY was originally concentrated in the Midlands region of England, particularly in counties like Warwickshire and Leicestershire. Early records show variations in the spelling, including Mowday, Mowdey, Moweday, and Mowedaye.
One of the earliest known references to the name MOWDAY can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Warwickshire from 1332, which lists a William Mowday. Another early record is the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Leicestershire from 1345, which mentions a John Mowday.
In the 16th century, the MOWDAY surname appeared in various parish records and tax rolls across the Midlands. For example, the Parish Registers of St. Martin's in Birmingham recorded the marriage of Thomas Mowday in 1587.
Notable individuals with the surname MOWDAY throughout history include:
1. John Mowday (c. 1550-1620), an English landowner and member of the gentry class from Warwickshire.
2. Richard Mowday (1622-1688), a farmer and landowner from Leicestershire.
3. Mary Mowday (1675-1745), a prominent businesswoman who owned several properties in Birmingham.
4. William Mowday (1720-1798), a wealthy merchant and shipowner from Liverpool.
5. Edward Mowday (1789-1867), a British soldier who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a respected author and historian.
The MOWDAY surname is also associated with several place names in England, such as Mowday's Farm in Warwickshire and Mowday's Hill in Leicestershire, further reflecting the historical presence and geographical distribution of this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mowday
Among Census respondents with the surname Mowday, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Mowday 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 Mowday surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.3% · 106
- Hispanic or Latino5.8% · 7
- Two or more races5.0% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mowday
Mowday 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
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
+4 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,533 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+13 bearers (+12.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 10,579 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #147,095 | 103 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 5,533 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | +13 bearers (+12.1%) | Up 10,579 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 Mowday 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 | #152,628 | #142,049 | 6.9% |
| Count | 107 | 120 | 12.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mowday bearers went from 107 to 120 (+12.1% change). The surname moved up 10,579 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #142,049.
FAQ
Mowday surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mowday?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Mowday. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Mowday?
Mowday ranks #142,049 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 120 people with the surname Mowday. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), 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 Mowday.
Has Mowday become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mowday went from 107 recorded bearers to 120. That is an increase of 13 (+12.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #152,628 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Mowday?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mowday, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Mowday in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.3% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mowday appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.3%), Hispanic (5.8%), Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Mowday (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 Mowday mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name likely meaning "high meadow". 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 Mowday (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 Mowday?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Mowday, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.