2000
#11,003
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,651
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.98
Rare Last name
Muldrow
A Scottish locational surname derived from a place near Kirkcowan in Wigtownshire, likely meaning "mill by the hollow."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,038 Americans carry the last name Muldrow. That puts it at #11,380 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.89 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 112,822 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Muldrow 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
3.0K
1 in 112,822
Census rank
#11,380
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,649 bearers of the surname Muldrow in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.89 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11380th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Muldrow, the largest self-reported group is Black at 77.9%. The next largest groups are White (10.7%) and Two or More Races (6.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Muldrow
The surname Muldrow has its origins in England, where it first appeared in the late 16th century. It is believed to be a locational name, derived from a place name like "Muldrey" or "Muldre," though the exact location has been lost to history. Some scholars have suggested that it may be related to the Old English words "mulde" (meaning "dust" or "soil") and "row" (a stretch of land or a path), potentially indicating a connection to a dusty or muddy area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the parish records of Gloucestershire, where a certain John Muldrow was christened in 1598. Another early mention comes from the Hearth Tax Rolls of Yorkshire in 1672, where a William Muldrow is listed as a taxpayer.
In the 17th century, a branch of the Muldrow family migrated to Ireland, where they settled in County Antrim. Here, the name underwent some variations in spelling, including "Muldrowe" and "Muldroe." A notable figure from this Irish branch was Robert Muldrow (1680-1756), a prosperous landowner and merchant in Ballymena.
As the Muldrow name spread across the British Isles, it appeared in various historical records and documents. For instance, the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1672 contain the name of Thomas Muldrow, while the Hearth Tax Rolls of Somerset in 1675 list a John Muldrow.
One of the most prominent figures bearing the Muldrow surname was Sir James Muldrow (1714-1789), a wealthy English merchant and Member of Parliament for Maldon, Essex. He was knighted in 1760 for his contributions to the East India Company.
Another notable individual was William Muldrow (1742-1821), an English-born American soldier and surveyor who fought in the American Revolutionary War. He later became a prominent landowner and helped establish the town of Muldrow, Oklahoma, which bears his name.
In Scotland, the Muldrow name can be traced back to the 18th century, with records showing a John Muldrow who was a merchant in Glasgow in 1756. A century later, James Muldrow (1835-1912) was a Scottish-born industrialist and philanthropist who made his fortune in the iron and steel industry in the United States.
While the Muldrow surname has its roots in England, it has since spread across the globe, with various branches and variations emerging over time. However, the name's precise origins and the meaning behind its earliest forms remain shrouded in mystery, leaving room for further exploration and interpretation.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Muldrow
Among Census respondents with the surname Muldrow, the largest self-reported group is Black at 77.9%. The next largest groups are White (10.7%) and Two or More Races (6.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Muldrow 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 Muldrow surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American77.9% · 2,063
- White10.7% · 284
- Two or more races6.3% · 168
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 112
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Muldrow
Muldrow 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
#11,016
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,887
+236 bearers (+8.9%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Down 13 places
2020
#11,380
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,649
-238 bearers (-8.2%)
Per 100,000 0.89
Rank movement Down 364 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,003 | 2,651 | 0.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,016 | 2,887 | 0.98 | +236 bearers (+8.9%) | Down 13 places |
| 2020 | #11,380 | 2,649 | 0.89 | -238 bearers (-8.2%) | Down 364 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 Muldrow 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 | #11,016 | #11,380 | -3.3% |
| Count | 2,887 | 2,649 | -8.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.98 | 0.89 | -9.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Muldrow bearers went from 2,887 to 2,649 (-8.2% change). The surname moved down 364 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,016 to #11,380.
FAQ
Muldrow surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Muldrow?
Name Census estimates that about 3,038 living Americans carry the surname Muldrow. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 112,822 residents.
How common is Muldrow?
Muldrow ranks #11,380 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.89 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 2,649 people with the surname Muldrow. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,038), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.89 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.89 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 Muldrow.
Has Muldrow become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Muldrow went from 2,887 recorded bearers to 2,649. That is a decrease of 238 (-8.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,016 to #11,380.
What does the Census say about the background of Muldrow?
Among Census respondents with the surname Muldrow, the largest self-reported group is Black at 77.9%. The next largest groups are White (10.7%) and Two or More Races (6.3%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Muldrow in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.9% (2,063 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Muldrow appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (77.9%), White (10.7%), Two or More Races (6.3%). 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 Muldrow (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 Muldrow mean?
A Scottish locational surname derived from a place near Kirkcowan in Wigtownshire, likely meaning "mill by the hollow." 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 Muldrow (0.89 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 Americans have the surname Muldrow?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.