2000
#13,547
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,057
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.76
Rare Last name
Moyle
A surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Ó Maolmhuidh," meaning "descendant of the devotee of Saint Muidh."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,310 Americans carry the last name Moyle. That puts it at #14,292 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 148,379 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Moyle 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 Moyle with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.3K
1 in 148,379
Census rank
#14,292
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,014 bearers of the surname Moyle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14292nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Moyle, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Moyle
The surname "MOYLE" originated in Ireland and is derived from the Gaelic word "moil" meaning "bald" or "bare". It likely referred to a person with a shaven or tonsured head, possibly a monk or clergyman.
This surname is found primarily in Counties Cork and Kerry in the southwest of Ireland, suggesting it may have originated in this region. Early spellings included "Moyll", "Moyl", and "Moile". The name is also found in the form "Moyles" or "Moile" in Irish records.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Annals of the Four Masters from the 12th century, which mentions a "Maelsechlainn Ua Moile" who was a chief of the Ui Dunadhach in County Cork.
In the 16th century, the surname is found in the Fiants of the Irish Chancery Rolls, which lists several individuals with the name, such as John Moyle of Cork in 1571 and David Moyle of Kerry in 1586.
Notable individuals with the surname include Sir Walter Moyle (1672-1721), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Saltash; John Moyle (1788-1880), an English landscape painter; and Henry Moyle (1804-1883), an English clergyman and author.
Other historically significant figures include Sir Thomas Moyle (1490-1560), an English lawyer and member of Parliament during the reign of Henry VIII; and Sir Nathaniel Moyle (1608-1693), an English lawyer and politician who served as Attorney General during the reign of Charles II.
The surname "MOYLE" is deeply rooted in Irish history and has been found in various records dating back to the 12th century, reflecting its longstanding presence in Counties Cork and Kerry.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Moyle
Among Census respondents with the surname Moyle, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Moyle 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 Moyle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.0% · 1,813
- Two or more races4.5% · 91
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 63
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 24
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 13
- Black or African American0.5% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Moyle
Moyle 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
#14,398
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,076
+19 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Down 851 places
2020
#14,292
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,014
-62 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Up 106 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,547 | 2,057 | 0.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,398 | 2,076 | 0.70 | +19 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 851 places |
| 2020 | #14,292 | 2,014 | 0.67 | -62 bearers (-3.0%) | Up 106 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 Moyle 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 | #14,398 | #14,292 | 0.7% |
| Count | 2,076 | 2,014 | -3.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.70 | 0.67 | -3.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Moyle bearers went from 2,076 to 2,014 (-3.0% change). The surname moved up 106 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,398 to #14,292.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Moyle
FAQ
Moyle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Moyle?
Name Census estimates that about 2,310 living Americans carry the surname Moyle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 148,379 residents.
How common is Moyle?
Moyle ranks #14,292 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,014 people with the surname Moyle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,310), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.67 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Moyle.
Has Moyle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Moyle went from 2,076 recorded bearers to 2,014. That is a decrease of 62 (-3.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,398 to #14,292.
What does the Census say about the background of Moyle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Moyle, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Moyle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.0% (1,813 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Moyle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.0%), Two or More Races (4.5%), Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Moyle (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 Moyle mean?
A surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Ó Maolmhuidh," meaning "descendant of the devotee of Saint Muidh." 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 Moyle (0.67 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 Moyle?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.