Explore the Family Name Moll

The meaning of Moll

1. English (Norfolk): from the Middle English female personal name Moll(e), Mol, a common pet form of Maud (see Mould and Maude). 2. English (Norfolk): nickname from Middle English molle, mol(e), moul ‘mole’ (the burrowing animal), given perhaps to someone who wore moleskin, a mole catcher, or to someone with poor sight, or alternatively from Middle English mol ‘effeminate man’. 3. German: nickname from a dialect term for a plump, stout person. This surname is also found in France (Alsace and Lorraine) and Poland. 4. Dutch: variant of Mol. 5. Catalan: nickname for a weak or ineffectual person, from moll ‘soft, weak’ (from Latin mollis).

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Moll's popularity saw a slight decrease between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked as the 4739th most popular surname, but by 2010 it had slipped to 4938th place, marking a 4.2% drop in rank. Despite this drop in ranking, the actual number of people with the surname Moll increased from 6844 in 2000 to 7131 in 2010, an uptick of 4.19%. However, when looking at the proportion per 100k, there was a decrease of 4.72%, moving from 2.54 in 2000 to 2.42 in 2010.

20002010Change
Rank#4,739#4,938-4.2%
Count6,8447,1314.19%
Proportion per 100k2.542.42-4.72%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Moll

The ethnicity associated with the surname Moll also showed interesting changes between 2000 and 2010, according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. The highest increase was seen among those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander, which jumped from 0.96% to 2.22%, a dramatic rise of 131.25%. There were also increases in those identifying as having two or more ethnic identities (from 1.01% to 1.25%), Hispanic (from 4.22% to 5.43%), and Black (from 1.15% to 1.40%). Meanwhile, there was a minor decrease in those identifying as White, from 92.50% to 89.58%, and American Indian and Alaskan Native, from 0.15% to 0.13%.

20002010Change
White92.5%89.58%-3.16%
Hispanic4.22%5.43%28.67%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.96%2.22%131.25%
Black1.15%1.4%21.74%
Two or More Races1.01%1.25%23.76%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.15%0.13%-13.33%

Moll ancestry composition

23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Moll is French & German, which comprises 39.0% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (29.7%) and Eastern European (10.6%). Additional ancestries include Spanish & Portuguese, Scandinavian, Ashkenazi Jewish, Italian, and Indigenous American.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
French & German39.0%
British & Irish29.7%
Eastern European10.6%
Other20.7%
Moll

Possible origins of the surname Moll

Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.

Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Moll have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Greater London, United Kingdom67.20%
Glasgow City, United Kingdom67.20%
West Midlands, United Kingdom67.20%
Merseyside, United Kingdom66.70%
Lancashire, United Kingdom66.70%

What Moll haplogroups can tell you

Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.

The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Moll is I-P109, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup I-P109 is descended from haplogroup I-M170. Other common haplogroups include R-P311 and R-L23, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Gruber, Christensen, Jensen, Nielsen, Jorgensen, Andersen, Hansen, Larsen, Christiansen, Simons.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Moll surname are: H1, J1c, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

mollPaternal Haplogroup Origins I-M170
Paternal Haplo Image

Your paternal lineage may be linked to many northern European men

If you have haplogroup I1a1b, your paternal line stems from a young branch of I-M253 called I-L22, which likely arose in the last 3,000 years. I-L22 is most common in Northern Europe, but a recent study found that this haplogroup was present in a significant portion of the Partecipanza population living in San Giovanni in Persiceto, Italy. The area of San Giovanni in Persiceto was involved in a migration period in 728 AD, when it became part of the Lombard kingdom, under King Aistulf. San Giovanni in Persiceto was only under Lombard rule for 48 years, after which the Lombards were defeated by King Charlemagne in 776 AD. There are several characteristics of San Giovanni in Persiceto that link it to other Lombard settlements. For instance, some research suggests San Giovanni in Persiceto was the seat of a Lombard Duke between 750 and 800 AD. It is possible that the Lombards who ruled over San Giovanni in Persiceto played an important role in the introduction and growth of haplogroup I-L22 in the region.

Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette

Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Moll have in common?

Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.

Preferences

Moll

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Moll" Surname 38.2%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Moll

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Moll" Surname 31.1%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Moll

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Moll" Surname 24.7%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Moll

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Moll" Surname 21.8%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Moll?

The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.

Disease variant frequency by ancestry

Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Moll are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Y402H variant

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. The disease results in damage to the central part of the retina (the macula), impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the two most common variants associated with an increased risk of developing the condition: the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene. Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

French & German 60.8%

23andMe Users 57.2%