2000
#56
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 311,754
First available Census row
Per 100,000 115.57
Common Last name
Morris
An English or Welsh surname referring to a dark-skinned or swarthy person, derived from the Latin "Maurus."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 352,556 Americans carry the last name Morris. That puts it at #64 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 102.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 972 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Morris 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 Morris with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
353K
1 in 972
Census rank
#64
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
102.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
307K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 307,446 bearers of the surname Morris in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 102.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 64th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Morris, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.3%. The next largest groups are Black (20.0%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Morris
The surname Morris is of Welsh origin, derived from the personal name Maurice, itself coming from the Latin Mauritius or Maurus, meaning "Moorish" or "dark-skinned". The name likely originated in the medieval period, when many families adopted hereditary surnames.
Morris is a prominent surname found in several regions of Wales, particularly in the counties of Glamorgan, Monmouthshire, and Pembrokeshire. It is also found in parts of England, especially in the border counties near Wales. The earliest recorded instances of the surname date back to the 13th century.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Moris ap Gruffydd, a Welsh landowner who lived in the late 13th century. Another early record is that of John Morris, listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327. The Domesday Book, compiled in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname Morris, as it primarily recorded landowners and tenants.
In the 15th century, the Morris surname appeared in various records, such as the Calendars of Wills and Administrations in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury. Notable individuals from this period include John Morris (c. 1415-1489), a Welsh clergyman and Bishop of Llandaff, and Sir William Morris (c. 1450-1501), a Welsh soldier and MP for Monmouthshire.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Morris surname continued to spread across Wales and England. Prominent figures included Lewis Morris (1612-1675), a Welsh writer and politician, and Richard Morris (1590-1644), an English physician and author of works on anatomy and medicine.
In the 18th century, the Morris family produced several notable individuals, such as Lewis Morris (1671-1746), a Welsh-American landowner and judge who served as the 16th Governor of New Jersey, and Robert Morris (1734-1806), an American merchant and political leader who financed the American Revolution.
Other famous individuals with the surname Morris include William Morris (1834-1896), an English artist, writer, and socialist who played a significant role in the Arts and Crafts movement, and Gouverneur Morris (1752-1816), an American statesman and one of the authors of the United States Constitution.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Morris
Among Census respondents with the surname Morris, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.3%. The next largest groups are Black (20.0%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Morris 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 Morris surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.3% · 216,040
- Black or African American20.0% · 61,540
- Two or more races4.5% · 13,696
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 11,142
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 2,771
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 2,257
Timeline
Historical Census data for Morris
Morris 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
#62
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 318,884
+7,130 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 108.10
Rank movement Down 6 places
2020
#64
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 307,446
-11,438 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 102.86
Rank movement Down 2 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #56 | 311,754 | 115.57 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #62 | 318,884 | 108.10 | +7,130 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 6 places |
| 2020 | #64 | 307,446 | 102.86 | -11,438 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 2 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 Morris 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 | #62 | #64 | -3.2% |
| Count | 318,884 | 307,446 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 108.10 | 102.86 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Morris bearers went from 318,884 to 307,446 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 2 positions in the national ranking, going from #62 to #64.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Morris
FAQ
Morris surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Morris?
Name Census estimates that about 352,556 living Americans carry the surname Morris. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 972 residents.
How common is Morris?
Morris ranks #64 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 102.86 per 100,000 residents, which is about 103 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 307,446 people with the surname Morris. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (352,556), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 102.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 102.86 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 103 of them to have the surname Morris.
Has Morris become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Morris went from 318,884 recorded bearers to 307,446. That is a decrease of 11,438 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #62 to #64.
What does the Census say about the background of Morris?
Among Census respondents with the surname Morris, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.3%. The next largest groups are Black (20.0%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Morris in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.3% (216,040 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Morris appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.3%), Black (20.0%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Morris (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 Morris mean?
An English or Welsh surname referring to a dark-skinned or swarthy person, derived from the Latin "Maurus." 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 Morris (102.86 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 have the surname Morris?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.