2000
#4,609
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,036
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.61
Rare Last name
Moye
A French occupational surname referring to a shepherd or tender of oxen.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,596 Americans carry the last name Moye. That puts it at #4,586 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.51 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 39,874 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Moye 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 Moye with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.6K
1 in 39,874
Census rank
#4,586
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,496 bearers of the surname Moye in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.51 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4586th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Moye, the largest self-reported group is Black at 45.9%. The next largest groups are White (45.2%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Moye
The surname MOYE has its origins in the French language and first appeared in the Normandy region of northern France during the Middle Ages. It is believed to derive from the Old French word "moie" which means "wet or damp land", referring to someone who lived near a marshy or swampy area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the MOYE name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a survey commissioned by William the Conqueror after the Norman conquest of England. The name is listed as "Moye" and appears in reference to landholdings in various counties across southern England.
In the 13th century, records show a William de Moye serving as a knight and landowner in Wiltshire, England. Around this time, variations in spelling such as "Moyie" and "Moije" also began to emerge. By the 14th century, the name had spread to other parts of Europe, including the Low Countries and Germany, where it was recorded as "Moeye" and "Moyen".
One notable bearer of the MOYE surname was Sir Thomas Moye (c.1490-1560), an English courtier and Member of Parliament during the reigns of Henry VIII and Edward VI. He held various positions at court and was granted lands in Kent and Essex.
Another individual of historical significance was Jean Moye (1535-1592), a French painter and draughtsman who worked in the Mannerist style. He is known for his religious paintings and portraits commissioned by the French nobility.
In Scotland, the MOYE name can be traced back to the 16th century, with records showing a John Moy or Moye who served as a burgess (municipal officer) in Aberdeen in 1587.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded bearers of the MOYE surname was John Moye, an English immigrant who settled in Virginia in the 1640s. His descendants later moved westward and can be found in census records from states such as Kentucky and Tennessee.
Throughout its history, the MOYE surname has been associated with various occupations and social classes, from landed gentry and nobility to artists, merchants, and tradespeople. While not a particularly common name, it has endured for centuries and can still be found among families of diverse backgrounds today.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Moye
Among Census respondents with the surname Moye, the largest self-reported group is Black at 45.9%. The next largest groups are White (45.2%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Moye 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 Moye surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American45.9% · 3,442
- White45.2% · 3,385
- Two or more races4.6% · 348
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 229
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 47
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 45
Timeline
Historical Census data for Moye
Moye 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
#4,634
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,657
+621 bearers (+8.8%)
Per 100,000 2.60
Rank movement Down 25 places
2020
#4,586
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,496
-161 bearers (-2.1%)
Per 100,000 2.51
Rank movement Up 48 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,609 | 7,036 | 2.61 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,634 | 7,657 | 2.60 | +621 bearers (+8.8%) | Down 25 places |
| 2020 | #4,586 | 7,496 | 2.51 | -161 bearers (-2.1%) | Up 48 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 Moye 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 | #4,634 | #4,586 | 1.0% |
| Count | 7,657 | 7,496 | -2.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.60 | 2.51 | -3.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Moye bearers went from 7,657 to 7,496 (-2.1% change). The surname moved up 48 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,634 to #4,586.
FAQ
Moye surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Moye?
Name Census estimates that about 8,596 living Americans carry the surname Moye. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 39,874 residents.
How common is Moye?
Moye ranks #4,586 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.51 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,496 people with the surname Moye. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,596), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.51 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.51 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Moye.
Has Moye become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Moye went from 7,657 recorded bearers to 7,496. That is a decrease of 161 (-2.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,634 to #4,586.
What does the Census say about the background of Moye?
Among Census respondents with the surname Moye, the largest self-reported group is Black at 45.9%. The next largest groups are White (45.2%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Moye in the 2020 Census, accounting for 45.9% (3,442 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Moye appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (45.9%), White (45.2%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Moye (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 Moye mean?
A French occupational surname referring to a shepherd or tender of oxen. 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 Moye (2.51 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 Americans have the surname Moye?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.