2000
#123,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Moze
A surname of Slavic origin, possibly meaning "great" or "powerful".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Moze. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Moze 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.
Bearers in the US
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Moze in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Moze, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.3%. The next largest groups are Black (25.4%) and Two or More Races (11.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Moze
The surname "MOZE" is believed to have originated in France during the medieval period. It is likely derived from the Old French word "moze," meaning "mossy" or "covered in moss." This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive nickname for someone who lived in a mossy area or had a mossy-covered dwelling.
The earliest known record of the surname dates back to the 13th century, where it appears as "de la Moze" in a document from the Normandy region of France. This spelling variation suggests that the name may have been associated with a specific location or place name that included the word "moze."
In the 14th century, the name appears in various records from the Île-de-France region, spelled as "Moze" and "Mozé." One notable individual from this period was Jean Moze, a landowner and farmer who lived in the village of Mézières-sur-Seine, born around 1320.
During the 15th century, the surname spread to other parts of France, with records showing variations such as "Mozes," "Mozet," and "Mozeau." A prominent figure bearing the name was Pierre Mozes, a merchant and ship owner from the port city of La Rochelle, who was born in 1462 and died in 1528.
In the 16th century, the name gained recognition with the birth of François Moze, a French philosopher and theologian born in 1554 in Nantes. He was known for his works on ethics and moral philosophy, and his writings influenced the intellectual circles of his time.
As the name continued to spread across France, it also found its way to other parts of Europe. In the 17th century, records show a family by the name of Moze living in the Netherlands, with Jacob Moze, a merchant and trader, being born in Amsterdam in 1638.
Another notable individual bearing the surname was Marie-Madeleine Moze, a French author and poet who lived in the 18th century. Born in 1701 in Paris, she gained recognition for her poetic works and literary salons, which attracted notable figures of the Enlightenment era.
Throughout its history, the surname "MOZE" has been associated with various professions and backgrounds, from farmers and landowners to merchants, philosophers, and writers. While its origins can be traced back to medieval France, the name has since spread and taken root in various parts of Europe and beyond, carrying with it a rich cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Moze
Among Census respondents with the surname Moze, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.3%. The next largest groups are Black (25.4%) and Two or More Races (11.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Moze 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 Moze surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White55.3% · 63
- Black or African American25.4% · 29
- Two or more races11.4% · 13
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.6% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Moze
Moze 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
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-23 bearers (-17.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 30,455 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+8 bearers (+7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,274 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #123,314 | 129 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | -23 bearers (-17.8%) | Down 30,455 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.5%) | Up 7,274 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 Moze 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 | #153,769 | #146,495 | 4.7% |
| Count | 106 | 114 | 7.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Moze bearers went from 106 to 114 (+7.5% change). The surname moved up 7,274 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #146,495.
FAQ
Moze surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Moze?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Moze. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Moze?
Moze ranks #146,495 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 114 people with the surname Moze. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Moze.
Has Moze become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Moze went from 106 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 8 (+7.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Moze?
Among Census respondents with the surname Moze, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.3%. The next largest groups are Black (25.4%) and Two or More Races (11.4%). 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 Moze in the 2020 Census, accounting for 55.3% (63 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Moze appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (55.3%), Black (25.4%), Two or More Races (11.4%). 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 Moze (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 Moze mean?
A surname of Slavic origin, possibly meaning "great" or "powerful". 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 Moze (0.04 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 last name Moze?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Moze at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.