2000
#27,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 842
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.31
Very Rare Last name
Moulds
An occupational surname denoting someone who made molds or patterns for casting.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 955 Americans carry the last name Moulds. That puts it at #30,091 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.28 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 358,905 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Moulds 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 Moulds with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
955
1 in 358,905
Census rank
#30,091
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
833
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 833 bearers of the surname Moulds in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.28 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 30091st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Moulds, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Black (9.4%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Moulds
The surname Moulds is of English origin, originating in the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "molde," meaning "earth" or "soil," suggesting that the name's earliest bearers may have been associated with agriculture, working as farmers or landholders.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, where a John le Mulde is mentioned. This early spelling variation of "Mulde" highlights the name's evolution over time.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the name appeared in various records across England, with instances found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, where a Richard Mouldere is listed, and in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1332, where a John Mulde is recorded.
The name Moulds may also have originated from place names, such as Moulton in Northamptonshire or Moulton in Lincolnshire. These place names derive from the Old English words "mol" (a hill or mound) and "tun" (an enclosure or settlement), suggesting that some early bearers of the name may have hailed from these locations.
Notable historical figures with the surname Moulds include Sir John Moulds (1566-1638), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Nottinghamshire during the reign of King James I. Another prominent individual was Robert Moulds (1720-1785), a British architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Adelphi Terrace.
In the 19th century, Thomas Moulds (1828-1902) was a British railway engineer and inventor, known for his contributions to the development of railway signaling systems. Additionally, Reverend John Moulds (1845-1923) was an English clergyman and author, best known for his work "The Church and the World" published in 1878.
Lastly, Edith Moulds (1892-1977) was a British artist and illustrator, renowned for her etchings and woodcut prints depicting rural landscapes and village scenes. Her works are held in various collections, including the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Moulds
Among Census respondents with the surname Moulds, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Black (9.4%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Moulds 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 Moulds surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.2% · 693
- Black or African American9.4% · 78
- Two or more races4.8% · 40
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Moulds
Moulds 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
#27,435
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 879
+37 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.30
Rank movement Down 386 places
2020
#30,091
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 833
-46 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.28
Rank movement Down 2,656 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #27,049 | 842 | 0.31 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #27,435 | 879 | 0.30 | +37 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 386 places |
| 2020 | #30,091 | 833 | 0.28 | -46 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 2,656 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 Moulds 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 | #27,435 | #30,091 | -9.7% |
| Count | 879 | 833 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.30 | 0.28 | -7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Moulds bearers went from 879 to 833 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 2,656 positions in the national ranking, going from #27,435 to #30,091.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Moulds
FAQ
Moulds surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Moulds?
Name Census estimates that about 955 living Americans carry the surname Moulds. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 358,905 residents.
How common is Moulds?
Moulds ranks #30,091 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.28 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 833 people with the surname Moulds. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (955), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.28 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.28 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Moulds.
Has Moulds become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Moulds went from 879 recorded bearers to 833. That is a decrease of 46 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #27,435 to #30,091.
What does the Census say about the background of Moulds?
Among Census respondents with the surname Moulds, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Black (9.4%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Moulds in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.2% (693 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Moulds appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.2%), Black (9.4%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Moulds (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 Moulds mean?
An occupational surname denoting someone who made molds or patterns for casting. 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 Moulds (0.28 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 Moulds?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.