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

Moy, 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 Moy surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Moy in America

Moy is the 4046th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Moy surname appeared 8,781 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 Moy.

We can also compare 2010 data for Moy 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 Moy

The surname Moy originates from Ireland and is of Gaelic origin, believed to have derived from the Irish word "magh," meaning "plain" or "field." It is thought to have been a topographic name given to those who lived on a plain or open field area.

The name can be traced back to the 12th century in Ireland, particularly in the counties of Mayo and Sligo. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, where it appears as "Moy" in the year 1179.

In the 13th century, the name is found in the form "de Moy" in various records, suggesting it may have been adopted by Anglo-Norman settlers in Ireland. The prefix "de" was commonly used to denote a place of origin or residence.

The Moy surname is also linked to various placenames in Ireland, such as Moy in County Tyrone and Moygashel in County Tyrone, which may have contributed to the spread and adoption of the name.

One notable historical figure with the Moy surname was Sir John de Moy, a 14th-century Norman-Irish knight who served as Lord Chancellor of Ireland from 1364 to 1368.

Another prominent individual was Patrick Moy de Lacy, a 16th-century Irish chieftain and leader of the O'More clan, who fought against English rule in Ireland during the Tudor conquest.

In the 17th century, the name appears in the Hearth Money Rolls of 1665, a tax record for Ireland, indicating its presence in various counties, including Mayo, Sligo, and Galway.

During the 18th century, the Moy surname is found in the records of the Irish Rebellion of 1798, with several individuals bearing the name participating in the uprising against British rule.

In the 19th century, John Moy, born in 1813, was a notable Irish writer and journalist who contributed to various publications and advocated for Irish nationalism.

While the Moy surname has its roots in Ireland, it has since spread to other parts of the world through immigration and has been adopted by people of various ethnicities and backgrounds.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Moy

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

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

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

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