2000
#5,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,009
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.23
Rare Last name
Muro
A Spanish and Italian occupational surname referring to a person who built or maintained walls.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,612 Americans carry the last name Muro. That puts it at #4,573 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.51 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 39,800 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Muro 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
8.6K
1 in 39,800
Census rank
#4,573
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,510 bearers of the surname Muro in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.51 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4573rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Muro, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 82.6%. The next largest groups are White (15.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Muro
The surname Muro originated in Italy, likely in the regions of Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna. It is believed to have derived from the Italian word "muro," which means "wall." This could indicate that the earliest bearers of this surname lived near or worked with walls, perhaps as builders or masons.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Muro can be found in the "Codice Diplomatico Longobardo," a collection of Lombard diplomatic documents dating back to the 8th century. There, a certain "Maurone de Muro" is mentioned in a document from the year 774.
In the 13th century, a nobleman named Guglielmo Muro was recorded as a member of the court of Frederick II, the Holy Roman Emperor. Guglielmo Muro is believed to have been born in Parma around 1190 and served as a diplomat and advisor to the Emperor.
During the Renaissance, a renowned artist and architect named Battista Muro flourished in Milan. Born in 1455, he is credited with designing several notable churches and palaces in the city, including the Church of San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore.
In the 16th century, a Jesuit priest and scholar named Gabriele Muro gained fame for his writings on theology and philosophy. He was born in Naples in 1516 and authored several influential works, such as "De Verbo Incarnato" and "Commentaria in Summam Theologicam."
Another notable figure with the surname Muro was Girolamo Muro, a Venetian explorer and cartographer who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He is known for his detailed maps of the Mediterranean region and the Adriatic Sea, which were widely used by navigators of the time.
The surname Muro continued to be present throughout various regions of Italy in the following centuries, with individuals bearing this name contributing to various fields, including literature, the arts, and academia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Muro
Among Census respondents with the surname Muro, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 82.6%. The next largest groups are White (15.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Muro 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 Muro surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino82.6% · 6,206
- White15.1% · 1,131
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 67
- Two or more races0.7% · 49
- Black or African American0.6% · 42
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Muro
Muro 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
#4,481
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,916
+1,907 bearers (+31.7%)
Per 100,000 2.68
Rank movement Up 858 places
2020
#4,573
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,510
-406 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 2.51
Rank movement Down 92 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,339 | 6,009 | 2.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,481 | 7,916 | 2.68 | +1,907 bearers (+31.7%) | Up 858 places |
| 2020 | #4,573 | 7,510 | 2.51 | -406 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 92 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 Muro 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 | #4,481 | #4,573 | -2.1% |
| Count | 7,916 | 7,510 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.68 | 2.51 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Muro bearers went from 7,916 to 7,510 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 92 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,481 to #4,573.
FAQ
Muro surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Muro?
Name Census estimates that about 8,612 living Americans carry the surname Muro. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 39,800 residents.
How common is Muro?
Muro ranks #4,573 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.51 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,510 people with the surname Muro. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,612), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.51 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.51 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Muro.
Has Muro become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Muro went from 7,916 recorded bearers to 7,510. That is a decrease of 406 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,481 to #4,573.
What does the Census say about the background of Muro?
Among Census respondents with the surname Muro, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 82.6%. The next largest groups are White (15.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Muro in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.6% (6,206 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Muro appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (82.6%), White (15.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Muro (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 Muro mean?
A Spanish and Italian occupational surname referring to a person who built or maintained walls. 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 Muro (2.51 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 are called Muro?
Want to know how many people are called Muro? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.