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

Moyao, 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 Moyao surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Moyao in America

Moyao is the 77522nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Moyao surname appeared 247 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Moyao.

We can also compare 2010 data for Moyao 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 Moyao

The surname Moyao originated in the Galicia region of northwestern Spain during the early medieval period. It is derived from the Latin word "molis," meaning "mill," and the suffix "-ao," indicating a place or location. This suggests that the name initially referred to a person who lived near a mill or worked as a miller.

The earliest known record of the Moyao surname dates back to the 11th century, where it appeared in a cartulary from the Monasterio de Celanova in Ourense, Galicia. The document mentions a landowner named Pelagio Moyao, who donated a portion of his property to the monastery.

In the 13th century, the name Moyao appeared in the Tumbo Viejo de Lugo, an ancient cartulary from the Cathedral of Lugo, also located in Galicia. This record includes a reference to a nobleman named Rodrigo Moyao, who witnessed a legal document in 1247.

During the 15th century, the Moyao surname gained prominence in Portugal, likely due to the close proximity and cultural ties between Galicia and northern Portugal. One notable figure from this era was João Moyao, a merchant who participated in the Portuguese maritime expeditions along the West African coast in the late 1400s.

In the 16th century, the Moyao name appeared in various historical documents from the Spanish colonies in the Americas. One example is Pedro Moyao, a conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés during the conquest of Mexico in the 1520s.

Another noteworthy individual was Alonso Moyao, a Spanish missionary who traveled to the Philippines in the late 16th century. He played a significant role in the evangelization efforts and the establishment of Catholic missions in the archipelago.

During the 17th century, the Moyao surname was associated with several prominent families in Galicia and Portugal. One such figure was Inés Moyao, a noblewoman from Santiago de Compostela, who married into the influential Fonseca family in the early 1600s.

In the 19th century, Ramón Moyao was a Spanish military officer who fought in the Peninsular War against the French forces of Napoleon. He distinguished himself in several battles and was awarded the Cross of San Fernando for his bravery.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Moyao

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

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

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

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