2000
#9,570
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.16
Rare Last name
Moffat
A Scottish locational surname derived from the lands of Moffat in Dumfriesshire, likely meaning "long plain" in Gaelic.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,506 Americans carry the last name Moffat. That puts it at #10,050 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.02 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 97,762 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Moffat 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 Moffat with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.5K
1 in 97,762
Census rank
#10,050
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,057 bearers of the surname Moffat in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.02 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10050th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Moffat, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Moffat
The surname Moffat is of Scottish origin, originating from the small town of Moffat in Dumfriesshire, Scotland. The name is believed to have derived from the Gaelic words 'magh' meaning 'a plain or field' and 'fada' meaning 'long', referring to the long stretch of level ground on which the town was built.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Moffat can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which list people who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The entry 'William de Moffet' suggests the surname's connection to the town of Moffat.
In the 16th century, the Moffat family played a significant role in the Scottish Reformation. John Moffat (c.1510-1590) was a prominent Scottish reformer and minister who served as a chaplain to King James VI of Scotland.
Robert Moffat (1795-1883) was a famous Scottish missionary and translator who spent many years in South Africa, translating the Bible into the Setswana language and establishing mission stations among the Tswana people.
Another notable bearer of the surname was James Moffat (1869-1918), a Scottish theologian and biblical scholar who served as the minister of the United Free Church of Scotland and wrote extensively on the Old Testament.
In the literary world, James Archibald Moffat (1902-1987) was a renowned Scottish poet and playwright, known for his works such as "The Walls of Jericho" and "The Road to Spain".
The surname Moffat has also been associated with several place names in Scotland, such as Moffat Water, a river that runs through the town of Moffat, and Moffat Hills, a range of hills situated near the town.
Throughout history, the surname Moffat has been found in various spellings, including Moffet, Moffett, and Muffet, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Moffat
Among Census respondents with the surname Moffat, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Moffat 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 Moffat surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.9% · 2,748
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 121
- Two or more races3.3% · 100
- Black or African American1.2% · 38
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 32
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Moffat
Moffat 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
#10,257
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,143
+26 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 1.07
Rank movement Down 687 places
2020
#10,050
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,057
-86 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 1.02
Rank movement Up 207 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,570 | 3,117 | 1.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,257 | 3,143 | 1.07 | +26 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 687 places |
| 2020 | #10,050 | 3,057 | 1.02 | -86 bearers (-2.7%) | Up 207 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 Moffat 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 | #10,257 | #10,050 | 2.0% |
| Count | 3,143 | 3,057 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.07 | 1.02 | -4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Moffat bearers went from 3,143 to 3,057 (-2.7% change). The surname moved up 207 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,257 to #10,050.
FAQ
Moffat surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Moffat?
Name Census estimates that about 3,506 living Americans carry the surname Moffat. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 97,762 residents.
How common is Moffat?
Moffat ranks #10,050 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.02 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 3,057 people with the surname Moffat. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,506), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.02 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.02 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 Moffat.
Has Moffat become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Moffat went from 3,143 recorded bearers to 3,057. That is a decrease of 86 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,257 to #10,050.
What does the Census say about the background of Moffat?
Among Census respondents with the surname Moffat, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Moffat in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.9% (2,748 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Moffat appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.9%), Hispanic (4.0%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Moffat (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 Moffat mean?
A Scottish locational surname derived from the lands of Moffat in Dumfriesshire, likely meaning "long plain" in Gaelic. 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 Moffat (1.02 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 Moffat?
Find out how many people have the surname Moffat on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.