Mowery last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Mowery is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Mowery.

Meaning of Mowery

An occupational surname for one who cuts or mows hay or grass.

Mowery, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Mowery surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Mowery in America

Mowery is the 4321st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Mowery surname appeared 8,226 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Mowery.

We can also compare 2010 data for Mowery to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 4321 4094 5.40%
Count 8,226 8,002 2.76%
Proportion per 100k 2.79 2.97 -6.25%

The history of the last name 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.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Mowery

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Mowery.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Mowery was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 95.68% 7,871
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.35% 29
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.46% 38
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.50% 41
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.48% 122
Hispanic Origin 1.52% 125

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Mowery has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 95.68% 96.63% -0.99%
Black 0.35% 0.30% 15.38%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.46% 0.31% 38.96%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.50% 0.41% 19.78%
Two or More Races 1.48% 1.15% 25.10%
Hispanic 1.52% 1.20% 23.53%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Mowery was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Mowery, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Mowery last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on October 10, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/mowery-surname-popularity/.

"Mowery last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/mowery-surname-popularity/. Accessed 10 October, 2024

Mowery last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/mowery-surname-popularity/.

Search for a name

Search for a first or last name to learn more about its origin, meaning, and more.

Simple as that.