2000
#8,916
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,376
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.25
Rare Last name
Mui
A Chinese surname meaning "plum" or referring to someone who lived near a plum tree.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,184 Americans carry the last name Mui. That puts it at #8,631 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.22 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 81,920 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mui 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
4.2K
1 in 81,920
Census rank
#8,631
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,649 bearers of the surname Mui in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.22 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8631st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mui, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and White (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mui
The surname MUI has its origins in China, dating back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). It is believed to have derived from the Chinese word "mei" which means "plum" or "plum blossom". The name was likely given to someone who lived near a plum tree or orchard, or had a connection to the fruit.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name MUI can be found in the "Zizhi Tongjian", a historical text compiled during the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD). It mentions a scholar named Mui Yanshou who lived during the Tang Dynasty and was known for his expertise in Confucian teachings.
In the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368 AD), there was a prominent figure named Mui Zhongjian who served as a high-ranking official in the imperial court. He was known for his administrative abilities and his efforts to promote education.
During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD), the name Mui gained further recognition when a man named Mui Shengxi became a respected military leader. He was instrumental in suppressing several rebel uprisings and was awarded the title of "Duke of Wuyi" for his service.
In the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912 AD), a scholar and poet named Mui Ting gained fame for his literary works and his contributions to the study of classical Chinese literature. He was born in 1683 and died in 1763.
Another notable figure with the surname Mui was Mui Qingsheng, a successful merchant who lived during the late Qing Dynasty. He was born in 1846 and made his fortune through trading in silk and porcelain. His business ventures helped to establish the Mui family as one of the wealthier clans in the region.
While the surname Mui has its roots in ancient China, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and diaspora. However, the historical records and references mentioned here provide insight into the rich heritage and significance of this name within Chinese culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mui
Among Census respondents with the surname Mui, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and White (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Mui 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 Mui surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander91.9% · 3,355
- Two or more races3.6% · 132
- White2.7% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino1.4% · 52
- Black or African American0.2% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mui
Mui 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
#8,743
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,752
+376 bearers (+11.1%)
Per 100,000 1.27
Rank movement Up 173 places
2020
#8,631
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,649
-103 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 1.22
Rank movement Up 112 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,916 | 3,376 | 1.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,743 | 3,752 | 1.27 | +376 bearers (+11.1%) | Up 173 places |
| 2020 | #8,631 | 3,649 | 1.22 | -103 bearers (-2.7%) | Up 112 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 Mui 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 | #8,743 | #8,631 | 1.3% |
| Count | 3,752 | 3,649 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.27 | 1.22 | -3.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mui bearers went from 3,752 to 3,649 (-2.7% change). The surname moved up 112 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,743 to #8,631.
FAQ
Mui surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mui?
Name Census estimates that about 4,184 living Americans carry the surname Mui. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 81,920 residents.
How common is Mui?
Mui ranks #8,631 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.22 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 3,649 people with the surname Mui. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,184), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.22 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.22 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 Mui.
Has Mui become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mui went from 3,752 recorded bearers to 3,649. That is a decrease of 103 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,743 to #8,631.
What does the Census say about the background of Mui?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mui, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and White (2.7%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mui in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (3,355 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mui appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (91.9%), Two or More Races (3.6%), White (2.7%). 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 Mui (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 Mui mean?
A Chinese surname meaning "plum" or referring to someone who lived near a plum tree. 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 Mui (1.22 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 Mui?
Find out how many people are called Mui on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.