2000
#1,160
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 27,648
First available Census row
Per 100,000 10.25
Uncommon Last name
Mobley
From an English place name meaning "clearing by a hill" or "clearing with a bare hill."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 31,846 Americans carry the last name Mobley. That puts it at #1,249 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 9.29 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 10,763 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mobley 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 Mobley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
32K
1 in 10,763
Census rank
#1,249
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
9.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
28K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 27,771 bearers of the surname Mobley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 9.29 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1249th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mobley, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.2%. The next largest groups are Black (35.6%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mobley
The surname Mobley is of English origin and dates back to the medieval period. It is believed to be a locational name derived from a place called Mobberley in Cheshire, England. The name Mobberley itself is thought to be derived from the Old English words "moere" meaning "marsh" and "leah" meaning "clearing" or "meadow."
In the Domesday Book of 1086, the earliest known record of the name, the place Mobberley is mentioned as "Modberdeleie." This suggests that the surname Mobley may have originally been spelled similarly, with variations like Mobberley, Mobberly, or Moberley being common in early records.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Mobley is found in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire from 1195, which mention a Roger de Mobberley. Another early reference is in the Assize Rolls of Lancashire from 1246, where a William de Mobberly is mentioned.
In the 14th century, there are records of a John Moberley, who was born in Mobberley, Cheshire, around 1320. He was a prominent landowner and served as the High Sheriff of Cheshire in 1362.
Another notable figure with the surname Mobley was Sir John Mobberley, who lived in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. He was a member of the English gentry and held lands in Cheshire and Lancashire. His son, Thomas Mobberley, was born in 1496 and served as the High Sheriff of Cheshire in 1533.
In the 17th century, there are records of a Richard Mobley, born in 1615 in Mobberley, Cheshire. He was a yeoman farmer and is believed to be an ancestor of many Mobleys who later emigrated to the American colonies.
Another prominent figure with the surname was Sir Walter Moberley, who was born in 1638 in Cheshire. He was a member of the English Parliament and served as the High Sheriff of Cheshire in 1684.
The surname Mobley has also been found in various place names throughout England, such as Mobberley Heath, Mobberley Brook, and Mobberley Hall, all of which are located in or near the original village of Mobberley in Cheshire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mobley
Among Census respondents with the surname Mobley, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.2%. The next largest groups are Black (35.6%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Mobley 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 Mobley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White56.2% · 15,597
- Black or African American35.6% · 9,893
- Two or more races4.3% · 1,206
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 837
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 124
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 114
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mobley
Mobley 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
#1,215
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 29,065
+1,417 bearers (+5.1%)
Per 100,000 9.85
Rank movement Down 55 places
2020
#1,249
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 27,771
-1,294 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 9.29
Rank movement Down 34 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,160 | 27,648 | 10.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,215 | 29,065 | 9.85 | +1,417 bearers (+5.1%) | Down 55 places |
| 2020 | #1,249 | 27,771 | 9.29 | -1,294 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 34 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 Mobley 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 | #1,215 | #1,249 | -2.8% |
| Count | 29,065 | 27,771 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 9.85 | 9.29 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mobley bearers went from 29,065 to 27,771 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 34 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,215 to #1,249.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mobley
FAQ
Mobley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mobley?
Name Census estimates that about 31,846 living Americans carry the surname Mobley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 10,763 residents.
How common is Mobley?
Mobley ranks #1,249 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 9.29 per 100,000 residents, which is about 9 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 27,771 people with the surname Mobley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (31,846), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 9.29 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 9.29 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 9 of them to have the surname Mobley.
Has Mobley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mobley went from 29,065 recorded bearers to 27,771. That is a decrease of 1,294 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,215 to #1,249.
What does the Census say about the background of Mobley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mobley, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.2%. The next largest groups are Black (35.6%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mobley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 56.2% (15,597 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mobley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (56.2%), Black (35.6%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Mobley (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 Mobley mean?
From an English place name meaning "clearing by a hill" or "clearing with a bare hill." 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 Mobley (9.29 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 Mobley?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.