2000
#7,255
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,240
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.57
Rare Last name
Moxley
From the place name Moxley, derived from the Old English words "maec," meaning marsh or bog, and "leah," meaning woodland clearing.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,934 Americans carry the last name Moxley. That puts it at #7,470 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.44 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 69,468 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Moxley 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Moxley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.9K
1 in 69,468
Census rank
#7,470
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,303 bearers of the surname Moxley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.44 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7470th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Moxley, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.1%. The next largest groups are Black (9.6%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Moxley
Among Census respondents with the surname Moxley, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.1%. The next largest groups are Black (9.6%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Moxley 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 Moxley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.1% · 3,488
- Black or African American9.6% · 412
- Two or more races4.6% · 200
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 141
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 33
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 29
Timeline
Historical Census data for Moxley
Moxley 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
#7,525
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,421
+181 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 1.50
Rank movement Down 270 places
2020
#7,470
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,303
-118 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 1.44
Rank movement Up 55 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,255 | 4,240 | 1.57 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,525 | 4,421 | 1.50 | +181 bearers (+4.3%) | Down 270 places |
| 2020 | #7,470 | 4,303 | 1.44 | -118 bearers (-2.7%) | Up 55 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 Moxley 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 | #7,525 | #7,470 | 0.7% |
| Count | 4,421 | 4,303 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.50 | 1.44 | -4.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Moxley bearers went from 4,421 to 4,303 (-2.7% change). The surname moved up 55 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,525 to #7,470.
FAQ
Moxley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Moxley?
Name Census estimates that about 4,934 living Americans carry the surname Moxley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 69,468 residents.
How common is Moxley?
Moxley ranks #7,470 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.44 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,303 people with the surname Moxley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,934), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.44 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.44 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Moxley.
Has Moxley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Moxley went from 4,421 recorded bearers to 4,303. That is a decrease of 118 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,525 to #7,470.
What does the Census say about the background of Moxley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Moxley, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.1%. The next largest groups are Black (9.6%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Moxley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.1% (3,488 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Moxley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.1%), Black (9.6%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Moxley (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 Moxley mean?
From the place name Moxley, derived from the Old English words "maec," meaning marsh or bog, and "leah," meaning woodland clearing. 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 Moxley (1.44 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 many people have the surname Moxley?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.