2000
#13,256
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.78
Rare Last name
Musa
Derived from the Arabic name Musa, meaning "Moses," or an occupational surname for a writer or scribe.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,911 Americans carry the last name Musa. That puts it at #6,341 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 57,986 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Musa 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 Musa with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.9K
1 in 57,986
Census rank
#6,341
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,155 bearers of the surname Musa in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6341st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Musa, the largest self-reported group is Black at 43.3%. The next largest groups are White (40.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Musa
The surname Musa has its origins in the Arabic language, derived from the word "Mūsā," which means "Moses" or "drawn out of water." This surname traces its roots to the Middle East and North Africa, where it was historically borne by adherents of the Islamic faith.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Musa can be found in medieval Arabic manuscripts and records, often referring to individuals of scholarly or religious significance. One notable example is Abu Bakr al-Musa, a renowned 9th-century mathematician and astronomer from Persia.
In the 8th century, the Musa dynasty ruled over parts of present-day Morocco and Algeria, with Idris Musa founding the Idrisid dynasty in 788 CE. This dynasty played a significant role in the spread of Islam and the development of Islamic culture in the region.
During the Middle Ages, the surname Musa was also found in parts of the Iberian Peninsula, where it was borne by individuals of Moorish or Arab descent. In the 12th century, a scholar and philosopher named Ibn Musa lived in Seville, Spain, and made notable contributions to the fields of astronomy and mathematics.
As the Islamic empires expanded, the surname Musa spread to other parts of the world, including the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. In the 16th century, a renowned explorer and navigator named Musa Bin Nair hailed from Sumatra and played a crucial role in the Malacca Sultanate's maritime expeditions.
Another notable figure associated with the surname Musa is Hakim Musa Naqshbandi, a 16th-century Sufi mystic and scholar from Central Asia, who was instrumental in the spread of the Naqshbandi Sufi order.
Other historical figures bearing the surname Musa include Ali Musa al-Rida, an 8th-century Shia Imam revered for his knowledge and piety, and Musa al-Kazim, a 7th-century Islamic scholar and descendant of the Prophet Muhammad.
Throughout history, the surname Musa has been found in various spellings and regional variations, such as Moosa, Moussa, and Mossa, reflecting the diverse linguistic and cultural influences it has encountered in different parts of the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Musa
Among Census respondents with the surname Musa, the largest self-reported group is Black at 43.3%. The next largest groups are White (40.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Musa 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 Musa surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American43.3% · 2,233
- White40.3% · 2,079
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.5% · 333
- Hispanic or Latino6.3% · 327
- Two or more races3.5% · 178
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Musa
Musa 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
#8,773
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,736
+1,625 bearers (+77.0%)
Per 100,000 1.27
Rank movement Up 4,483 places
2020
#6,341
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,155
+1,419 bearers (+38.0%)
Per 100,000 1.72
Rank movement Up 2,432 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,256 | 2,111 | 0.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,773 | 3,736 | 1.27 | +1,625 bearers (+77.0%) | Up 4,483 places |
| 2020 | #6,341 | 5,155 | 1.72 | +1,419 bearers (+38.0%) | Up 2,432 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 Musa 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 | #8,773 | #6,341 | 27.7% |
| Count | 3,736 | 5,155 | 38.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.27 | 1.72 | 35.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Musa bearers went from 3,736 to 5,155 (+38.0% change). The surname moved up 2,432 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,773 to #6,341.
FAQ
Musa surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Musa?
Name Census estimates that about 5,911 living Americans carry the surname Musa. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 57,986 residents.
How common is Musa?
Musa ranks #6,341 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.72 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,155 people with the surname Musa. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,911), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.72 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Musa.
Has Musa become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Musa went from 3,736 recorded bearers to 5,155. That is an increase of 1,419 (+38.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,773 to #6,341.
What does the Census say about the background of Musa?
Among Census respondents with the surname Musa, the largest self-reported group is Black at 43.3%. The next largest groups are White (40.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.5%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Musa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 43.3% (2,233 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Musa appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (43.3%), White (40.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (6.5%). 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 Musa (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 Musa mean?
Derived from the Arabic name Musa, meaning "Moses," or an occupational surname for a writer or scribe. 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 Musa (1.72 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 surname Musa?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.