2000
#33,169
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 650
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.24
Very Rare Last name
Mol
A surname of Dutch origin, possibly derived from a toponymic name referring to a low-lying or marshy place.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 858 Americans carry the last name Mol. That puts it at #32,872 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.25 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 399,481 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mol 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
858
1 in 399,481
Census rank
#32,872
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
748
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 748 bearers of the surname Mol in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.25 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 32872nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mol, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (10.2%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mol
The surname Mol originated in the Netherlands during the Middle Ages, likely derived from the Dutch word "mol" meaning "mole" or "hill." It was a topographic name given to someone who lived near a small hill or mound.
Mol was first recorded in the Dutch province of Brabant in the 13th century, where it was initially spelled variations like "Molle" or "Mulle." The name appeared in various medieval records and charters from the region.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Arnoud van der Mol, a landowner from the town of Mol in Antwerp province, mentioned in a 1372 tax record. The town itself is named after the Dutch word for a mole or hill, suggesting the name's topographic origins.
In the 15th century, the surname Mol spread to other parts of the Low Countries, including present-day Belgium and the Netherlands. Variations like "Molle" and "Moelen" were also common during this time.
Notable historical figures with the surname Mol include Pieter Mol (1599-1661), a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his still-life and genre works. Another was Jan Mol (1686-1732), a Dutch architect and sculptor who designed several buildings in Amsterdam.
In the 18th century, Hendrik Mol (1718-1788) was a prominent Dutch merchant and banker, while Cornelis Mol (1743-1805) was a Dutch naval officer who fought in the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War.
During the 19th century, the Mol surname was further disseminated across Europe and beyond through emigration. One example is Lambert Mol (1835-1917), a Dutch-born American artist and lithographer who worked in New York City.
Over time, the surname Mol has been widely distributed, with bearers found in countries like Germany, France, South Africa, and the United States, among others. However, its roots can be traced back to the medieval Netherlands and the topographic feature that inspired the name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mol
Among Census respondents with the surname Mol, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (10.2%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Mol 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 Mol surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.7% · 611
- Asian and Pacific Islander10.2% · 76
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 29
- Two or more races3.3% · 25
- Black or African American0.9% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mol
Mol 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
#31,824
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 725
+75 bearers (+11.5%)
Per 100,000 0.25
Rank movement Up 1,345 places
2020
#32,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 748
+23 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.25
Rank movement Down 1,048 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #33,169 | 650 | 0.24 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #31,824 | 725 | 0.25 | +75 bearers (+11.5%) | Up 1,345 places |
| 2020 | #32,872 | 748 | 0.25 | +23 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 1,048 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 Mol 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 | #31,824 | #32,872 | -3.3% |
| Count | 725 | 748 | 3.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.25 | 0.25 | 0.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mol bearers went from 725 to 748 (+3.2% change). The surname moved down 1,048 positions in the national ranking, going from #31,824 to #32,872.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mol
FAQ
Mol surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mol?
Name Census estimates that about 858 living Americans carry the surname Mol. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 399,481 residents.
How common is Mol?
Mol ranks #32,872 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.25 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 748 people with the surname Mol. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (858), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.25 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.25 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 Mol.
Has Mol become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mol went from 725 recorded bearers to 748. That is an increase of 23 (+3.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #31,824 to #32,872.
What does the Census say about the background of Mol?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mol, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (10.2%) and Hispanic (3.9%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mol in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.7% (611 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mol appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (10.2%), Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Mol (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 Mol mean?
A surname of Dutch origin, possibly derived from a toponymic name referring to a low-lying or marshy place. 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 Mol (0.25 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 Americans have the surname Mol?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.