2010
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Moxcey
A habitational surname deriving from Moxhull in Warwickshire, England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Moxcey. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Moxcey 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Moxcey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Moxcey, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Moxcey
The surname Moxcey has its origins in England, first appearing in historical records during the late medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words 'moce' and 'ey', meaning 'marsh' and 'island' respectively. This suggests that the name may have originated as a topographic surname, describing someone who lived on a marshy island or area of land.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire from the year 1275, where a William Moxcey is listed as a taxpayer. The spelling at this time was quite variable, with variations such as Moxey, Moxsie, and Moxcye also appearing in records from the 13th and 14th centuries.
During the Tudor period, the name Moxcey seems to have been concentrated primarily in the counties of Worcestershire and Gloucestershire, with several references to individuals bearing the name appearing in local parish registers and court records from the 16th and 17th centuries. One notable example is John Moxcey, born in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire in 1587, who was a successful merchant and alderman in the town.
In the 18th century, the name began to spread more widely across England, with Moxceys appearing in records from counties such as Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, and Staffordshire. One prominent figure from this era was Thomas Moxcey (1728-1799), a respected clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Weston-under-Lizard in Staffordshire.
As the Industrial Revolution took hold in the 19th century, the Moxcey name can be found in various manufacturing and mining communities across the Midlands and Northern England. A notable individual from this period was William Moxcey (1819-1892), a pioneering trade unionist and leader of the Staffordshire Miners' Association.
Other notable individuals bearing the Moxcey surname throughout history include Mary Moxcey (1670-1741), a renowned herbalist and healer from Worcestershire; Richard Moxcey (1802-1878), a successful industrialist and founder of the Moxcey Ironworks in Warwickshire; and Edith Moxcey (1892-1978), a prominent suffragette and women's rights activist from Birmingham.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Moxcey
Among Census respondents with the surname Moxcey, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Moxcey 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 Moxcey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.2% · 112
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Moxcey
Moxcey appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+14 bearers (+14.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 14,480 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +14 bearers (+14.0%) | Up 14,480 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 Moxcey 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 | #160,975 | #146,495 | 9.0% |
| Count | 100 | 114 | 14.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 27.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Moxcey bearers went from 100 to 114 (+14.0% change). The surname moved up 14,480 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #146,495.
FAQ
Moxcey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Moxcey?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Moxcey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Moxcey?
Moxcey ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Moxcey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Moxcey.
Has Moxcey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Moxcey went from 100 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 14 (+14.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Moxcey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Moxcey, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%). 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 Moxcey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.2% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Moxcey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.2%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%). 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 Moxcey (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 Moxcey mean?
A habitational surname deriving from Moxhull in Warwickshire, England. 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 Moxcey (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 Moxcey?
You can see how many people have the last name Moxcey on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.