2000
#17,457
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,489
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.55
Rare Last name
Moorhouse
A locational surname originally denoting someone from a house on a moor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,718 Americans carry the last name Moorhouse. That puts it at #18,295 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.50 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 199,508 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Moorhouse 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 Moorhouse with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.7K
1 in 199,508
Census rank
#18,295
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,498 bearers of the surname Moorhouse in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.50 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 18295th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Moorhouse, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Moorhouse
The surname MOORHOUSE is an English locational surname that originated in the northern counties of England. It is derived from the Old English words "mor" meaning "moor" or "marshy upland" and "hus" meaning "house" or "dwelling." The name likely referred to someone who lived near or on a moor or marshy area.
The earliest recorded instance of the MOORHOUSE surname dates back to the late 12th century in Yorkshire. It appeared in various forms such as "de Morehous," "atte Morhous," and "del Moorhouse" in medieval records and documents.
The MOORHOUSE surname has been present in several historical records, including the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it was listed as "de Morehous" in Yorkshire. It was also mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of 1379 in Lancashire.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the MOORHOUSE surname was John de Morehous, who was documented in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1230. Another notable bearer of the name was William del Moorhouse, who was mentioned in the Lancashire Inquests of 1324.
Over the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the MOORHOUSE surname. These include:
1. Sir Robert Moorhouse (c. 1537 - 1609), an English politician and member of Parliament for Guildford in 1586.
2. James Moorhouse (1770 - 1848), an English clergyman and author who served as the Bishop of Manchester.
3. Alfred Moorhouse (1835 - 1925), an English-born Australian politician and member of the Legislative Council of Western Australia.
4. Edward Moorhouse (1803 - 1887), an English civil engineer who designed and built numerous railway lines in the United Kingdom.
5. Harry Moorhouse (1916 - 1995), an English professional footballer who played as a forward for various clubs, including Blackpool and Walsall.
The MOORHOUSE surname is also associated with several place names in England, such as Moorhouse in Lancashire and Moorhouse Farm in Yorkshire, further reinforcing its locational origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Moorhouse
Among Census respondents with the surname Moorhouse, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Moorhouse 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 Moorhouse surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.4% · 1,324
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 70
- Two or more races4.3% · 65
- Black or African American1.5% · 23
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Moorhouse
Moorhouse 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
#18,184
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,530
+41 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.52
Rank movement Down 727 places
2020
#18,295
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,498
-32 bearers (-2.1%)
Per 100,000 0.50
Rank movement Down 111 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #17,457 | 1,489 | 0.55 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #18,184 | 1,530 | 0.52 | +41 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 727 places |
| 2020 | #18,295 | 1,498 | 0.50 | -32 bearers (-2.1%) | Down 111 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 Moorhouse 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 | #18,184 | #18,295 | -0.6% |
| Count | 1,530 | 1,498 | -2.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.52 | 0.50 | -3.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Moorhouse bearers went from 1,530 to 1,498 (-2.1% change). The surname moved down 111 positions in the national ranking, going from #18,184 to #18,295.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Moorhouse
FAQ
Moorhouse surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Moorhouse?
Name Census estimates that about 1,718 living Americans carry the surname Moorhouse. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 199,508 residents.
How common is Moorhouse?
Moorhouse ranks #18,295 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.50 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 1,498 people with the surname Moorhouse. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,718), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.5 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.50 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 Moorhouse.
Has Moorhouse become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Moorhouse went from 1,530 recorded bearers to 1,498. That is a decrease of 32 (-2.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #18,184 to #18,295.
What does the Census say about the background of Moorhouse?
Among Census respondents with the surname Moorhouse, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) 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 Moorhouse in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.4% (1,324 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Moorhouse appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.4%), Hispanic (4.7%), 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 Moorhouse (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 Moorhouse mean?
A locational surname originally denoting someone from a house on a moor. 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 Moorhouse (0.50 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 Moorhouse?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Moorhouse on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.