Moore Surname

Meaning and origin of the surname Moore

Topographic surname for someone who lived near a moor or heath (Old English mōr), or an Anglicized form of Irish Ó Mórdha ('descendant of Mórdha', meaning 'majestic' or 'noble').

Historically and linguistically, Moore belongs to the English and Irish family of surnames. It is conventionally pronounced "MOR".

United States Census frequency and ranking

In the official 2010 United States Census, Moore was recorded 724,374 times, ranking as the 18th most common surname in the nation.

This represents an incidence rate of approximately 245.57 bearers per 100,000 Americans, or roughly 1 out of every 407 residents.

Race and ethnicity distribution

According to official decennial Census genealogy microdata, individuals bearing the surname Moorereported the following racial and ethnic affiliations in the 2010 US Census:

Source: US Census Bureau, 2010 Census Surnames Data. Percentages may not sum to exactly 100% due to independent rounding or suppression of small cell counts for privacy protection.

History of the surname Moore

Moore has multiple distinct historical origins across the British Isles. In England, it is primarily a topographic surname applied to someone who lived on or near a moor or barren heath, from Middle English more and Old English mōr. In northern England and the West Midlands, the landscape produced countless individuals who acquired the byname at the Moore, later becoming hereditary.

In Ireland, Moore is predominantly an Anglicization of the Gaelic patronymic Ó Mórdha, meaning 'descendant of Mórdha' (a personal name derived from mordha, meaning 'stately', 'majestic', or 'noble'). The O'Moores were one of the leading septs of County Laois in the province of Leinster, fiercely resisting English Tudor expansion in the sixteenth century. Additionally, in some parts of medieval Europe, Moore served as a nickname for someone of dark complexion, from Old French More ('Moor').

In the 2010 United States Census, Moore was recorded 724,374 times, ranking as the 18th most common surname in the nation. It reflects a diverse American demographic distribution, with 66 percent of bearers identifying as White and 28 percent as Black or African American.