2000
#2,451
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,526
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.01
Uncommon Last name
Moya
A surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Ó Muaigh," meaning "descendant of the noble one."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 20,399 Americans carry the last name Moya. That puts it at #1,978 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 16,803 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Moya 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 Moya with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
20K
1 in 16,803
Census rank
#1,978
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
18K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 17,789 bearers of the surname Moya in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1978th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Moya, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.3%. The next largest groups are White (7.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Moya
The surname Moya has its origins in Spain and dates back to the 10th century. It is believed to be derived from the Spanish word "moya," which means "boundary marker" or "boundary stone." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a boundary or a landowner who marked their property with boundary stones.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in medieval Spanish documents from the regions of Castile and Aragon. In the 12th century, a nobleman named Rodrigo de Moya was mentioned in a charter granted by King Alfonso VII of León and Castile. This suggests that the name was already well-established among the Spanish nobility during that time.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in the "Libro de la Montería" (Book of the Hunt), a medieval hunting treatise commissioned by King Alfonso XI of Castile. The book mentions a place called "Moya" in the province of Cuenca, which may have been the origin of the surname for some families.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname was Pedro de Moya, a Spanish soldier and explorer who accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the Americas in 1493. He is believed to have settled in the Caribbean and played a role in the early colonization of the region.
Another notable figure was Juan Bautista de Moya, a Spanish architect and engineer who lived in the 16th century. He is best known for his work on the Cathedral of Segovia and the Alcázar of Toledo, two important architectural landmarks in Spain.
In the 17th century, Antonio de Moya y Contreras was a prominent Spanish artist and painter who worked in the Baroque style. His works can be found in various churches and museums across Spain.
During the 18th century, José de Moya y Luzuriaga was a Spanish military officer and colonial administrator who served as the governor of Spanish Florida from 1770 to 1781. He played a significant role in defending the region against the British during the American Revolutionary War.
In the 19th century, Juan Moya Idígoras was a Spanish politician and statesman who served as the Prime Minister of Spain from 1836 to 1837. He was a prominent figure during the turbulent period of the Carlist Wars and the transition to a constitutional monarchy in Spain.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Moya
Among Census respondents with the surname Moya, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.3%. The next largest groups are White (7.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Moya 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 Moya surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino89.3% · 15,878
- White7.2% · 1,287
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 346
- Black or African American0.7% · 119
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 80
- Two or more races0.4% · 79
Timeline
Historical Census data for Moya
Moya 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
#2,001
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,071
+4,545 bearers (+33.6%)
Per 100,000 6.13
Rank movement Up 450 places
2020
#1,978
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,789
-282 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 5.95
Rank movement Up 23 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,451 | 13,526 | 5.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,001 | 18,071 | 6.13 | +4,545 bearers (+33.6%) | Up 450 places |
| 2020 | #1,978 | 17,789 | 5.95 | -282 bearers (-1.6%) | Up 23 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 Moya 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 | #2,001 | #1,978 | 1.1% |
| Count | 18,071 | 17,789 | -1.6% |
| Per 100K | 6.13 | 5.95 | -2.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Moya bearers went from 18,071 to 17,789 (-1.6% change). The surname moved up 23 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,001 to #1,978.
FAQ
Moya surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Moya?
Name Census estimates that about 20,399 living Americans carry the surname Moya. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 16,803 residents.
How common is Moya?
Moya ranks #1,978 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.95 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 17,789 people with the surname Moya. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (20,399), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.95 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Moya.
Has Moya become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Moya went from 18,071 recorded bearers to 17,789. That is a decrease of 282 (-1.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,001 to #1,978.
What does the Census say about the background of Moya?
Among Census respondents with the surname Moya, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.3%. The next largest groups are White (7.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Moya in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.3% (15,878 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Moya appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (89.3%), White (7.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Moya (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 Moya mean?
A surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Ó Muaigh," meaning "descendant of the noble one." 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 Moya (5.95 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 Moya?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.