Explore the Family Name Moskowitz
The meaning of Moskowitz
Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic): patronymic from a Germanized form of the Yiddish personal name Moshke, a pet form of Moshe (see Moses). The ending -owitz is a Germanized form of the East Slavic patronymic ending -ovich, Polish -owicz. Some characteristic forenames: Jewish Hyman, Aron, Emanuel, Ari, Moshe, Chana, Mendel, Mendy, Sholem, Aviva.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Moskowitz in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Moskowitz has seen a slight decrease in popularity over the years. In 2000, it was ranked 6213 and by 2010, it had moved to rank 6412, showing a decline of 3.2%. Despite this drop in ranking, the actual count of individuals bearing the Moskowitz surname increased by 4.62% from 5070 in 2000 to 5304 in 2010. However, when considering the proportion per 100,000 people, there was a 4.26% decrease, moving from 1.88 in 2000 to 1.8 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #6,213 | #6,412 | -3.2% |
| Count | 5,070 | 5,304 | 4.62% |
| Proportion per 100k | 1.88 | 1.8 | -4.26% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Moskowitz
The ethnic identity associated with the Moskowitz surname has remained largely consistent between 2000 and 2010 according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. The majority identifying as White increased slightly by 0.10%, constituting 96.55% of individuals with the Moskowitz surname in 2010. There was a notable increase in those identifying as Hispanic, up by 18.85%. The counts for those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and Two or More Races saw decreases by -3.51% and -23.68% respectively. Lastly, both Black representation and American Indian and Alaskan Native representation remained essentially unchanged, with the latter experiencing a minor decrease of -21.43%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 96.45% | 96.55% | 0.1% |
| Hispanic | 1.22% | 1.45% | 18.85% |
| Two or More Races | 1.14% | 0.87% | -23.68% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.57% | 0.55% | -3.51% |
| Black | 0.47% | 0.47% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.14% | 0.11% | -21.43% |
Moskowitz 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 Moskowitz is Ashkenazi Jewish, which comprises 65.6% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (15.0%) and French & German (8.7%). Additional ancestries include Italian, Eastern European, Scandinavian, Greek & Balkan, and Spanish & Portuguese.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| Ashkenazi Jewish | 65.6% |
| British & Irish | 15.0% |
| French & German | 8.7% |
| Other | 10.6% |
Possible origins of the surname Moskowitz
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 Moskowitz have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 36.00% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 36.00% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 36.00% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 36.00% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 36.00% |
What Moskowitz 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 Moskowitz is E-M34, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup E-M34 is descended from haplogroup E-M96. Other common haplogroups include G-P287 and J-L26, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Berk, Sandler, Kantor, Schlesinger, Rothman, Korn, Zuckerman, Rosenbaum, Perlman, Berkowitz.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Moskowitz surname are: K1a1b1a, J1c, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins E-M96
Your paternal lineage may be linked to Napolean Bonaparte
The French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte descended from the common ancestor of haplogroup E-M34. The male line of the Bonaparte family was from Tuscany, where Napoleon's earliest known male ancestors lived for at least six generations. Eleven generations before Napoleon, his ancestor, Giovanni, was the first to leave Tuscany for Corsica. The Bonaparte lineage lived in Corsica for ten generations before Napoleon's father, Charles-Marie Bonaparte. Charles-Marie (born in 1746) married Napoleon's mother, Letizia Ramolino, at the age of 18 in 1764.
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.
What do people with the surname Moskowitz 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
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Moskowitz" Surname 43.2%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Moskowitz" Surname 30.0%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Moskowitz" Surname 16.3%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Moskowitz" Surname 9.0%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Moskowitz?
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 Moskowitz are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition