2000
#1,085
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 29,485
First available Census row
Per 100,000 10.93
Uncommon Last name
Moser
An occupational surname referring to someone who makes boots or shoes, derived from the German word "Moser."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 33,628 Americans carry the last name Moser. That puts it at #1,181 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 9.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 10,193 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Moser 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 Moser with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
34K
1 in 10,193
Census rank
#1,181
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
9.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
29K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 29,325 bearers of the surname Moser in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 9.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1181st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Moser, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Moser
The surname Moser originated in the German-speaking regions of Europe, with its earliest known origins dating back to the Middle Ages. The name is believed to have derived from the German word "Moser," which referred to a person who lived near or worked in a moss-covered or swampy area. Alternatively, it may have stemmed from the Middle High German word "mos," meaning "bog" or "marsh."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Moser name can be traced back to the 13th century, with references found in ancient manuscripts and records from various regions of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The name's spelling evolved over time, with variations such as Mozer, Moeser, and Mooser appearing in different historical documents.
In the 14th century, a notable figure named Johannes Moser was mentioned in the city records of Nuremberg, Germany. Another individual, Hans Moser, was a respected craftsman in the town of Ulm, Germany, during the 15th century.
The Moser surname gained prominence in the 16th century, with several notable individuals bearing this name. One of them was Caspar Moser (1536-1585), a renowned German theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation.
In the 17th century, the Moser family established a glassmaking tradition in the Bohemian region of the Habsburg Monarchy (now part of the Czech Republic). The family's expertise in glassmaking was highly regarded, and their works became prized possessions among European nobility and royalty. Ludwig Moser (1633-1705) was a renowned glassmaker during this period.
The 18th century saw the emergence of Johann Jacob Moser (1701-1785), a prominent German jurist and political theorist who made significant contributions to the field of public law. His works influenced the development of modern constitutional theory.
In the 19th century, the Moser name gained further recognition with individuals like Eduard Moser (1826-1896), a Swiss politician and statesman who served as a member of the Federal Council, the executive branch of the Swiss government.
Other notable figures with the Moser surname include Gustav von Moser (1825-1903), a Prussian military officer and writer, and Mary Moser (1744-1819), an English painter and one of the founding members of the Royal Academy of Arts in London.
Throughout its history, the Moser surname has been associated with various professions, including glassmaking, theology, law, politics, and the arts, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and achievements of those who have carried this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Moser
Among Census respondents with the surname Moser, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Moser 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 Moser surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 26,831
- Two or more races3.1% · 915
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 868
- Black or African American1.4% · 418
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 204
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 89
Timeline
Historical Census data for Moser
Moser 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
#1,152
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 30,483
+998 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 10.33
Rank movement Down 67 places
2020
#1,181
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 29,325
-1,158 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 9.81
Rank movement Down 29 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,085 | 29,485 | 10.93 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,152 | 30,483 | 10.33 | +998 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 67 places |
| 2020 | #1,181 | 29,325 | 9.81 | -1,158 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 29 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 Moser 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 | #1,152 | #1,181 | -2.5% |
| Count | 30,483 | 29,325 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 10.33 | 9.81 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Moser bearers went from 30,483 to 29,325 (-3.8% change). The surname moved down 29 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,152 to #1,181.
FAQ
Moser surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Moser?
Name Census estimates that about 33,628 living Americans carry the surname Moser. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 10,193 residents.
How common is Moser?
Moser ranks #1,181 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 9.81 per 100,000 residents, which is about 10 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 29,325 people with the surname Moser. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (33,628), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 9.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 9.81 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 10 of them to have the surname Moser.
Has Moser become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Moser went from 30,483 recorded bearers to 29,325. That is a decrease of 1,158 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,152 to #1,181.
What does the Census say about the background of Moser?
Among Census respondents with the surname Moser, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Moser in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (26,831 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Moser appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Moser (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 Moser mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who makes boots or shoes, derived from the German word "Moser." 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 Moser (9.81 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 Moser?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.