Explore the Family Name Mou

The meaning of Mou

1. Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 牟, meaning ‘mooing or bellowing’ in ancient Chinese: from Mou (牟), the name of an ancient state (located in Laiwu in Shandong province) during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). 2. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 毛, based on its Cantonese pronunciation, see Mao 1. 3. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 茅, see Mao 2. 4. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surnames 武 and 巫, based on their Cantonese pronunciations, see Wu 2 and 3. 5. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 莫, see Mo 1. 6. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 繆, see Miao 2. 7. Bangladeshi: unexplained. Some characteristic forenames: Chinese Cheng, Chia, Chih Chung, Ching, Kai Chung, Kuen, Mei, Wah, Xue, Yiwen, Yung.

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

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

The Mou surname has seen a significant increase in popularity between the years 2000 and 2010, according to data from the Decennial U.S. Census. In 2000, it was ranked 46,153rd in terms of frequency, but by 2010, it had significantly risen to the 33,810th position. This is a leap of 26.74%. Similarly, the count of individuals bearing this surname also increased from 435 in 2000 to 673 in 2010, marking an impressive 54.71% growth. As for its proportion per 100k people, it rose by 43.75%, from 0.16 to 0.23.

20002010Change
Rank#46,153#33,81026.74%
Count43567354.71%
Proportion per 100k0.160.2343.75%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Mou

In terms of ethnicity, data derived from the Decennial U.S. Census shows that the majority of individuals with the Mou surname identified as Asian/Pacific Islander in both 2000 and 2010. However, there was a slight decrease in this group, with the percentage dropping from 89.43% in 2000 to 83.36% in 2010. The percentage of those identifying as White saw an increase from 7.36% in 2000 to 9.36% in 2010. The proportion identifying as Two or more races also grew, from 2.07% to 2.53%. Interestingly, there were no individuals with the Mou surname who identified as Hispanic or Black in 2000, but by 2010, these groups accounted for 1.49% and 3.27% respectively. The American Indian and Alaskan Native category saw no change during this period.

20002010Change
Asian/Pacific Islander89.43%83.36%-6.79%
White7.36%9.36%27.17%
Black0%3.27%0%
Two or More Races2.07%2.53%22.22%
Hispanic0%1.49%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%