2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Muzzall
A surname potentially originating from a Scottish Highland place name or archaic term referring to something small or insignificant.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Muzzall. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Muzzall 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Muzzall in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Muzzall, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.8%. The next largest groups are Black (19.1%) and Hispanic (13.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Muzzall
The surname Muzzall is of English origin, with roots dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have originated in the county of Cheshire, deriving from the Old English words "musse" meaning "moss" and "hyll" meaning "hill." Thus, the name likely referred to a person who lived near a mossy hill or a location with a similar topographical feature.
In ancient records, the surname appears with various spellings, including Mushill, Mussill, and Muzzyll. One of the earliest documented instances of the name can be found in the Cheshire County Rolls of 1286, where a certain Robert de Mushill is mentioned as a landholder.
During the Middle Ages, the Muzzall family established themselves as prominent landowners and farmers in the Cheshire region. The name is also found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which records a landowner named Godric de Mushill in the village of Nantwich, Cheshire.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Muzzall surname. One of the earliest recorded was Sir John Muzzall (1457-1523), a renowned soldier and knight who fought alongside King Henry VIII during the War of the Roses. Another notable figure was William Muzzall (1592-1663), a prominent Protestant minister and author who published several influential religious texts during the English Reformation.
In the 18th century, the Muzzall family produced a notable inventor and engineer, James Muzzall (1713-1782). He is credited with developing several groundbreaking innovations in textile manufacturing, which played a crucial role in the Industrial Revolution.
During the 19th century, the Muzzall name gained further recognition with the birth of Mary Muzzall (1837-1917), a pioneering educator and women's rights activist. She founded several schools for underprivileged children and was a vocal advocate for equal educational opportunities for women.
Another prominent figure from this era was Sir Arthur Muzzall (1845-1912), a celebrated explorer and naturalist. He led several expeditions to unexplored regions of Africa and made significant contributions to the study of wildlife and indigenous cultures.
While the origins of the Muzzall surname can be traced back to the English county of Cheshire, over the centuries, the name has spread across various parts of the world due to migration and diaspora. However, its roots remain firmly grounded in the ancient topographical features of the English landscape.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Muzzall
Among Census respondents with the surname Muzzall, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.8%. The next largest groups are Black (19.1%) and Hispanic (13.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Muzzall 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 Muzzall surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White61.8% · 68
- Black or African American19.1% · 21
- Hispanic or Latino13.6% · 15
- Two or more races5.5% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Muzzall
Muzzall 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
#128,249
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
+22 bearers (+19.8%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 10,492 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-23 bearers (-17.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 21,197 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #128,249 | 133 | 0.05 | +22 bearers (+19.8%) | Up 10,492 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -23 bearers (-17.3%) | Down 21,197 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 Muzzall 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 | #128,249 | #149,446 | -16.5% |
| Count | 133 | 110 | -17.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -26.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Muzzall bearers went from 133 to 110 (-17.3% change). The surname moved down 21,197 positions in the national ranking, going from #128,249 to #149,446.
FAQ
Muzzall surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Muzzall?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Muzzall. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Muzzall?
Muzzall ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Muzzall. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Muzzall.
Has Muzzall become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Muzzall went from 133 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 23 (-17.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #128,249 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Muzzall?
Among Census respondents with the surname Muzzall, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.8%. The next largest groups are Black (19.1%) and Hispanic (13.6%). 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 Muzzall in the 2020 Census, accounting for 61.8% (68 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Muzzall appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (61.8%), Black (19.1%), Hispanic (13.6%). 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 Muzzall (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 Muzzall mean?
A surname potentially originating from a Scottish Highland place name or archaic term referring to something small or insignificant. 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 Muzzall (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 common is the surname Muzzall?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Muzzall at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.