Explore the Family Name Moctezuma

The meaning of Moctezuma

Amerindian (mainly Mexico): surname adopted in honor of Moctezuma, the last ruler of the Aztec empire, who was killed by the Spanish in 1520. Compare Montezuma. Some characteristic forenames: Spanish Jose, Juan, Alfredo, Alvaro, Angel, Cruz, Demetrio, Javier, Jesus, Julio, Manuel, Pedro.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Moctezuma in the United States?

Based on the data provided by the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Moctezuma has seen a significant increase in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In the year 2000, Moctezuma was ranked 13,466 in popularity, but by 2010, it had improved its standing to a rank of 8,775. This represents a change of approximately 34.84%. The total count of people with this surname also grew from 2,073 in 2000 to 3,735 in 2010, indicating an impressive 80.17% growth. The proportion of the U.S. population with the Moctezuma surname per 100k also saw a substantial increase of 64.94%, moving from 0.77 to 1.27.

20002010Change
Rank#13,466#8,77534.84%
Count2,0733,73580.17%
Proportion per 100k0.771.2764.94%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Moctezuma

The ethnicity distribution for the Moctezuma surname, as shown in the Decennial U.S. Census data, indicates that the vast majority of individuals identify as Hispanic. In 2000, 95.22% identified as Hispanic, and this percentage increased slightly to 97.00% in 2010. The second largest ethnic identity group, those identifying as White, decreased from 3.76% in 2000 to 2.49% in 2010. Those identifying as Black made up a small portion of the Moctezumas and saw a decrease from 0.34% to 0.27% over the decade. Interestingly, there was no data available for Asian/Pacific Islander or American Indian and Alaskan Native in 2000, but by 2010, the latter category showed a small representation of 0.19%. Meanwhile, individuals identifying with two or more races dropped to zero in 2010 from a negligible 0.29% in 2000.

20002010Change
Hispanic95.22%97%1.87%
White3.76%2.49%-33.78%
Black0.34%0.27%-20.59%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0.19%0%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%0%0%
Two or More Races0.29%0%0%