2000
#4,094
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,002
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.97
Rare Last name
Mowery
An occupational surname for one who cuts or mows hay or grass.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,995 Americans carry the last name Mowery. That puts it at #4,370 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 38,105 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mowery 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
9.0K
1 in 38,105
Census rank
#4,370
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,844 bearers of the surname Mowery in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4370th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mowery, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mowery
The surname Mowery is believed to have originated in Germany, where it was derived from the Old German word "muwe," which meant "small hill" or "mound." The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 13th century in the region of Bavaria.
During the Middle Ages, the name was often spelled as "Müwer" or "Muwer," reflecting the regional dialects of the time. It is thought that the name may have been occupational in nature, referring to individuals who lived or worked on small hills or mounds.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Mowery was Johannes Muwer, who was mentioned in a land record from the village of Regensburg in 1298. Another notable early bearer of the name was Hans Muwer, a farmer from the town of Nürnberg, who appeared in tax records from the year 1412.
As the centuries progressed, the spelling of the name evolved, with variants such as "Mowerer," "Mowrer," and "Mowery" emerging. Some of these variations may have been influenced by the migration of families bearing the name to other regions of Europe or even to the Americas.
One famous individual with the surname Mowery was Johann Mowerer (1505-1572), a prominent Lutheran theologian and author from the city of Wittenberg. His works on theology and scriptural interpretation were widely read and influential during the Protestant Reformation.
Another notable figure was Christoph Mowery (1628-1701), a German-born artist and engraver who settled in Amsterdam and became renowned for his intricate etchings and engravings of landscapes and cityscapes.
In the 18th century, a family by the name of Mowery was documented as living in the town of Heidelberg, where they were involved in the local wine trade. One member of this family, Jakob Mowery (1732-1812), gained recognition for his skill in cultivating and producing high-quality wines.
As people bearing the surname Mowery migrated to other parts of the world, the name continued to evolve and take on new variations. In the United States, for example, the name was sometimes anglicized to "Mowry" or "Moury."
Despite these variations, the surname Mowery has maintained a strong connection to its Germanic roots and its historical associations with small hills, mounds, and rural landscapes.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mowery
Among Census respondents with the surname Mowery, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Mowery 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 Mowery surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 7,234
- Two or more races3.3% · 262
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 217
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 48
- Black or African American0.6% · 47
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 36
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mowery
Mowery 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
#4,321
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,226
+224 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 2.79
Rank movement Down 227 places
2020
#4,370
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,844
-382 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 2.62
Rank movement Down 49 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,094 | 8,002 | 2.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,321 | 8,226 | 2.79 | +224 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 227 places |
| 2020 | #4,370 | 7,844 | 2.62 | -382 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 49 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 Mowery 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 | #4,321 | #4,370 | -1.1% |
| Count | 8,226 | 7,844 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.79 | 2.62 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mowery bearers went from 8,226 to 7,844 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 49 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,321 to #4,370.
FAQ
Mowery surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mowery?
Name Census estimates that about 8,995 living Americans carry the surname Mowery. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 38,105 residents.
How common is Mowery?
Mowery ranks #4,370 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.62 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,844 people with the surname Mowery. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,995), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.62 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Mowery.
Has Mowery become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mowery went from 8,226 recorded bearers to 7,844. That is a decrease of 382 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,321 to #4,370.
What does the Census say about the background of Mowery?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mowery, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Mowery in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (7,234 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mowery appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Mowery (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 Mowery mean?
An occupational surname for one who cuts or mows hay or grass. 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 Mowery (2.62 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 Mowery?
See how many people have the last name Mowery on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.