2000
#11,469
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,519
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.93
Rare Last name
Moylan
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic Ó Maoileáin, meaning "descendant of a bald or tonsured man."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,944 Americans carry the last name Moylan. That puts it at #11,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 116,425 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Moylan 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 Moylan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 116,425
Census rank
#11,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,567 bearers of the surname Moylan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Moylan, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Moylan
The surname Moylan is of Irish origin, with roots dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Gaelic word "Maoilín," which means "little bald one" or "little tonsured one." This name was commonly given to men who had taken monastic vows or had shaved heads.
The Moylan family is believed to have originated in County Cork, Ireland, where they were prominent landowners and chieftains. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Annals of Inisfallen, a chronicle of Irish history written in the late 12th century, which mentions a "Maolán" who was the Bishop of Cork in the year 1092.
In the 14th century, the Moylan name appeared in the Pipe Rolls of County Cork, which were medieval tax records. These rolls listed several individuals with variations of the name, such as Moylan, Moylane, and Meylan, indicating the surname's evolution over time.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Moylan family played a significant role in the Irish Confederate Wars and the Williamite War in Ireland. One notable figure was Stephen Moylan (1737-1811), an Irish-born officer in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He served as a Muster-Master General and Aide-de-Camp to General George Washington.
Another prominent individual with the Moylan surname was Martin Moylan (1718-1799), an Irish merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of Dublin in 1786. He was also a member of the Irish Parliament and a prominent supporter of Catholic Emancipation.
In the 19th century, the Moylan name gained further recognition with John Moylan (1828-1892), an Irish-born Catholic prelate who served as the second Bishop of Erie, Pennsylvania, from 1868 until his death.
Other notable figures with the Moylan surname include Richard Moylan (1856-1905), an Irish-American architect who designed several prominent buildings in New York City, and Michael Moylan (1855-1922), an Irish-American labor leader and politician who served as the President of the International Association of Bridge and Structural Iron Workers.
While the Moylan name has its roots in Ireland, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, due to Irish immigration over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Moylan
Among Census respondents with the surname Moylan, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Moylan 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 Moylan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 2,369
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 96
- Two or more races2.5% · 65
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 26
- Black or African American0.4% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Moylan
Moylan 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
#12,055
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,587
+68 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Down 586 places
2020
#11,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,567
-20 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Up 373 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,469 | 2,519 | 0.93 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,055 | 2,587 | 0.88 | +68 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 586 places |
| 2020 | #11,682 | 2,567 | 0.86 | -20 bearers (-0.8%) | Up 373 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 Moylan 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 | #12,055 | #11,682 | 3.1% |
| Count | 2,587 | 2,567 | -0.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.88 | 0.86 | -2.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Moylan bearers went from 2,587 to 2,567 (-0.8% change). The surname moved up 373 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,055 to #11,682.
FAQ
Moylan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Moylan?
Name Census estimates that about 2,944 living Americans carry the surname Moylan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 116,425 residents.
How common is Moylan?
Moylan ranks #11,682 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.86 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 2,567 people with the surname Moylan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,944), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.86 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 Moylan.
Has Moylan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Moylan went from 2,587 recorded bearers to 2,567. That is a decrease of 20 (-0.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,055 to #11,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Moylan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Moylan, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Moylan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (2,369 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Moylan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Moylan (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 Moylan mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic Ó Maoileáin, meaning "descendant of a bald or tonsured man." 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 Moylan (0.86 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 share the surname Moylan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.