2000
#12,450
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,287
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.85
Rare Last name
Moro
A surname of Italian origin referring to someone with a dark complexion or from the Moors.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,829 Americans carry the last name Moro. That puts it at #12,070 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.83 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 121,157 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Moro 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 Moro with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.8K
1 in 121,157
Census rank
#12,070
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,467 bearers of the surname Moro in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.83 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12070th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Moro, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (31.1%) and Black (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Moro
The surname Moro has its origins in Italy, specifically in the northern regions of the country. Its earliest recorded use dates back to the 12th century, stemming from the Latin word "morus," which means "mulberry tree." It is believed that the name was originally a descriptive one, referring to individuals who either lived near mulberry trees or were involved in the cultivation of these trees.
During the Middle Ages, the Moro family established a presence in various parts of northern Italy, including the regions of Lombardy, Veneto, and Emilia-Romagna. One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name can be found in a document from 1243, which refers to a certain "Petrus Moro" from the city of Verona.
In the 14th century, the Moro name gained prominence with the rise of the Moro family in Venice. This influential family played a significant role in the political and cultural life of the Venetian Republic. One notable figure from this family was Cristoforo Moro (1390-1471), a renowned Venetian merchant and diplomat who served as the ambassador to the Ottoman Empire.
Another notable bearer of the Moro name was Girolamo Moro (1519-1592), a Venetian scholar and humanist who authored several works on philosophy and theology. His treatise "De Optimo Statu Reipublicae Venetae" (On the Ideal State of the Venetian Republic) remains an important historical source on the political structure of Venice during the Renaissance.
In the 16th century, the Moro family also established a presence in the Kingdom of Naples, where they held various positions of power and influence. One member of this branch was Tommaso Moro (1550-1624), a renowned jurist and legal scholar who served as the president of the Supreme Court of Naples.
Moving forward to the 19th century, the name Moro gained international recognition with the life and work of Alessandro Moro (1819-1892), an Italian patriot and revolutionary who played a pivotal role in the Risorgimento, the movement for Italian unification. He was a close associate of Giuseppe Garibaldi and participated in numerous battles against the Austrian Empire.
Throughout its history, the surname Moro has been associated with individuals from various backgrounds, including artists, writers, politicians, and military leaders. Some other notable figures include Aldo Moro (1916-1978), an Italian statesman and former Prime Minister of Italy, and Antonio Moro (1519-1576), a renowned Venetian portrait painter during the Renaissance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Moro
Among Census respondents with the surname Moro, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (31.1%) and Black (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Moro 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 Moro surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White60.3% · 1,488
- Hispanic or Latino31.1% · 768
- Black or African American3.4% · 85
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.8% · 70
- Two or more races1.8% · 44
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Moro
Moro 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
#12,198
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,554
+267 bearers (+11.7%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Up 252 places
2020
#12,070
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,467
-87 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Up 128 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,450 | 2,287 | 0.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,198 | 2,554 | 0.87 | +267 bearers (+11.7%) | Up 252 places |
| 2020 | #12,070 | 2,467 | 0.83 | -87 bearers (-3.4%) | Up 128 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 Moro 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 | #12,198 | #12,070 | 1.0% |
| Count | 2,554 | 2,467 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.87 | 0.83 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Moro bearers went from 2,554 to 2,467 (-3.4% change). The surname moved up 128 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,198 to #12,070.
FAQ
Moro surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Moro?
Name Census estimates that about 2,829 living Americans carry the surname Moro. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 121,157 residents.
How common is Moro?
Moro ranks #12,070 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.83 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 2,467 people with the surname Moro. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,829), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.83 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.83 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 Moro.
Has Moro become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Moro went from 2,554 recorded bearers to 2,467. That is a decrease of 87 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,198 to #12,070.
What does the Census say about the background of Moro?
Among Census respondents with the surname Moro, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (31.1%) and Black (3.4%). 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 Moro in the 2020 Census, accounting for 60.3% (1,488 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Moro appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (60.3%), Hispanic (31.1%), Black (3.4%). 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 Moro (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 Moro mean?
A surname of Italian origin referring to someone with a dark complexion or from the Moors. 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 Moro (0.83 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 Moro?
Find out how many people have the surname Moro on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.