2000
#1,981
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,736
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.20
Uncommon Last name
Moseley
From a place name meaning "mouse wood" or "mouse clearing" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 19,073 Americans carry the last name Moseley. That puts it at #2,115 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.56 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 17,971 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Moseley 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 Moseley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
19K
1 in 17,971
Census rank
#2,115
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
17K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 16,633 bearers of the surname Moseley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.56 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2115th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Moseley, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.7%. The next largest groups are Black (16.2%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Moseley
The surname Moseley has its origins in England, tracing back to the 11th century. It is a locational name, derived from the place name Moseley, which is found in several counties across the country, including Worcestershire, Staffordshire, and Yorkshire. The name is believed to stem from the Old English words "mos" meaning "moss" and "leah" meaning "a meadow or clearing," suggesting that the name originated from a moss-covered meadow.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Museleie" in Worcestershire. This entry suggests that the name was already established in the region during the Norman Conquest. Over time, the spelling evolved to its modern form, Moseley.
In the 13th century, a notable figure bearing this surname was Thomas de Moseley, a landowner in Staffordshire who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of 1230. Another early record is that of William de Moseley, a freeman of York in 1301, highlighting the name's presence in different parts of England.
During the 16th century, the Moseley family gained prominence in Lancashire, where they held the manor of Ancoats. Sir Oswald Moseley (1505-1572) was a respected member of this family and served as a Member of Parliament for Preston during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
In the 17th century, Sir Nicholas Moseley (1615-1672), born in Staffordshire, was a prominent lawyer and politician who served as Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench during the reign of King Charles II. His son, Sir Edward Moseley (1650-1713), also followed in his footsteps and became a notable jurist.
Another noteworthy figure was Benjamin Moseley (1742-1819), an English surgeon and author who made significant contributions to the field of medicine. His works, such as "A Treatise on Tropical Diseases" and "A Treatise on Hydrophobia," were highly influential in their time.
In the 19th century, Henry Moseley (1801-1872), an English mathematician and engineer, gained recognition for his work on developing the concept of the least-squares method, which is widely used in statistical analysis today.
These are just a few examples of the many individuals who have carried the surname Moseley throughout history, contributing to various fields and leaving their mark on the cultural and intellectual landscape of England and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Moseley
Among Census respondents with the surname Moseley, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.7%. The next largest groups are Black (16.2%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Moseley 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 Moseley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.7% · 12,586
- Black or African American16.2% · 2,696
- Two or more races3.6% · 604
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 584
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 93
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 70
Timeline
Historical Census data for Moseley
Moseley 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
#2,112
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,130
+394 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 5.81
Rank movement Down 131 places
2020
#2,115
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,633
-497 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 5.56
Rank movement Down 3 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,981 | 16,736 | 6.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,112 | 17,130 | 5.81 | +394 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 131 places |
| 2020 | #2,115 | 16,633 | 5.56 | -497 bearers (-2.9%) | Down 3 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 Moseley 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 | #2,112 | #2,115 | -0.1% |
| Count | 17,130 | 16,633 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 5.81 | 5.56 | -4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Moseley bearers went from 17,130 to 16,633 (-2.9% change). The surname moved down 3 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,112 to #2,115.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Moseley
FAQ
Moseley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Moseley?
Name Census estimates that about 19,073 living Americans carry the surname Moseley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 17,971 residents.
How common is Moseley?
Moseley ranks #2,115 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.56 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 16,633 people with the surname Moseley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (19,073), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.56 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.56 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Moseley.
Has Moseley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Moseley went from 17,130 recorded bearers to 16,633. That is a decrease of 497 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,112 to #2,115.
What does the Census say about the background of Moseley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Moseley, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.7%. The next largest groups are Black (16.2%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Moseley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.7% (12,586 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Moseley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.7%), Black (16.2%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Moseley (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 Moseley mean?
From a place name meaning "mouse wood" or "mouse clearing" in Old English. 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 Moseley (5.56 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 share the surname Moseley?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.