2000
#759
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 41,348
First available Census row
Per 100,000 15.33
Uncommon Last name
Mora
A Spanish and Italian occupational surname referring to a person who lived near a mulberry tree or grove.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 65,469 Americans carry the last name Mora. That puts it at #578 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 19.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 5,235 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mora 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 Mora with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
65K
1 in 5,235
Census rank
#578
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
19.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
57K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 57,092 bearers of the surname Mora in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 19.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 578th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mora, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.3%. The next largest groups are White (7.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mora
The surname Mora has its origins in Spain, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Spanish word "mora," which means "mulberry tree." This connection suggests that the surname may have initially been associated with individuals who lived near or worked with mulberry trees.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Mora can be found in the historical records of Aragon, a region in northeastern Spain. In the 13th century, a document from the Kingdom of Aragon mentions a person named Domingo de Mora, indicating the surname's presence during that era.
Another notable early reference is in the "Libro de la Montería" (Book of the Hunt), a 14th-century manuscript commissioned by King Alfonso XI of Castile. This hunting treatise contains the name of a certain Pedro Mora, suggesting the surname's use among individuals involved in hunting or forestry activities.
In the 15th century, historical records from the city of Seville in southern Spain mention a family with the surname Mora. This indicates that the name had spread beyond its initial regions and was becoming more widespread across different parts of the country.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Mora was Pedro de Mora (c. 1452-1521), a Spanish explorer and conquistador. He accompanied Christopher Columbus on his fourth voyage to the Americas and later participated in the conquest of Cuba.
Another notable figure was Juan de Mora (c. 1510-1580), a Spanish nobleman and military commander who served in the Conquest of the Canary Islands and later became a member of the Council of the Indies, which oversaw Spain's colonial affairs.
In the 17th century, Gaspar de Mora (1597-1675) was a Spanish painter who worked in Madrid and gained recognition for his religious and portrait paintings.
During the 18th century, Andrés de Mora (1718-1789) was a Spanish architect and engineer who played a significant role in the development of urban planning and infrastructure in Madrid.
In the 19th century, José Joaquín de Mora (1783-1864) was a Spanish-American writer, poet, and diplomat who spent much of his career in various Latin American countries and the United States.
These examples illustrate the rich historical presence of the surname Mora, which can be traced back to medieval Spain and has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including explorers, military leaders, artists, architects, and writers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mora
Among Census respondents with the surname Mora, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.3%. The next largest groups are White (7.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Mora 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 Mora surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino90.3% · 51,568
- White7.0% · 3,978
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 732
- Black or African American0.5% · 312
- Two or more races0.5% · 269
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 233
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mora
Mora 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
#583
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 57,464
+16,116 bearers (+39.0%)
Per 100,000 19.48
Rank movement Up 176 places
2020
#578
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 57,092
-372 bearers (-0.6%)
Per 100,000 19.10
Rank movement Up 5 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #759 | 41,348 | 15.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #583 | 57,464 | 19.48 | +16,116 bearers (+39.0%) | Up 176 places |
| 2020 | #578 | 57,092 | 19.10 | -372 bearers (-0.6%) | Up 5 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 Mora 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 | #583 | #578 | 0.9% |
| Count | 57,464 | 57,092 | -0.6% |
| Per 100K | 19.48 | 19.10 | -1.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mora bearers went from 57,464 to 57,092 (-0.6% change). The surname moved up 5 positions in the national ranking, going from #583 to #578.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mora
FAQ
Mora surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mora?
Name Census estimates that about 65,469 living Americans carry the surname Mora. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 5,235 residents.
How common is Mora?
Mora ranks #578 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 19.10 per 100,000 residents, which is about 19 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 57,092 people with the surname Mora. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (65,469), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 19.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 19.10 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 19 of them to have the surname Mora.
Has Mora become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mora went from 57,464 recorded bearers to 57,092. That is a decrease of 372 (-0.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #583 to #578.
What does the Census say about the background of Mora?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mora, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.3%. The next largest groups are White (7.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.3%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mora in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.3% (51,568 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mora appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (90.3%), White (7.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.3%). 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 Mora (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 Mora mean?
A Spanish and Italian occupational surname referring to a person who lived near a mulberry tree or grove. 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 Mora (19.10 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 Mora?
Find out how many people have the last name Mora on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.