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

Moxley, 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 Moxley surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Moxley in America

Moxley is the 7525th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Moxley surname appeared 4,421 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Moxley.

We can also compare 2010 data for Moxley 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.

The history of the last name Moxley

The surname Moxley originates from England and dates back to the 13th century. It is thought to have derived from the Old English words "moxa" meaning "muddy" and "leah" meaning "a clearing in a forest". This suggests that the name likely referred to someone who lived near a muddy clearing or meadow.

The earliest recorded instance of the name Moxley can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it appears as "Moxeleye". This medieval document was a census of landowners in England. The name is also mentioned in the Coroners' Rolls of the County of Stafford in 1286, indicating its presence in that region.

In the 14th century, the name was spelled "Moxeley" in the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire in 1327. This spelling variation likely reflects the local pronunciation at the time. The Moxley surname is also linked to several place names in Staffordshire, such as Moxley and Moxley Green, further reinforcing its origins in that county.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the Moxley surname was John Moxley, a landowner in Staffordshire who was mentioned in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1332. Another prominent figure was Thomas Moxley, who served as the Sheriff of Staffordshire in 1486.

In the 16th century, the Moxley name appears in the Parish Registers of Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, with the baptism of John Moxley in 1565. The Moxley family continued to have a presence in Staffordshire over the centuries, with individuals such as William Moxley (1612-1688), a wealthy landowner, and Samuel Moxley (1678-1742), a notable clergyman.

Moving into the 17th century, the Moxley surname started to spread beyond Staffordshire. One notable individual was Edward Moxley (1628-1675), a Puritan divine and author who was born in Wiltshire. In the 18th century, there was Joseph Moxley (1713-1790), a British naval officer who served during the War of Austrian Succession and the Seven Years' War.

As the Moxley name continued to disperse across England and eventually to other parts of the world, it became associated with various professions and achievements. Some examples include John Moxley (1798-1864), a British botanist and horticulturist, and Thomas Moxley (1826-1904), a prominent businessman and philanthropist in Manchester.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Moxley

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

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 Moxley was:

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 Moxley has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Moxley was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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