Explore the Family Name Moua
The meaning of Moua
Southeast Asian (Hmong): from the name of the Moua clan of the Hmong people in Laos, China, and Vietnam; in Chinese characters it is written 馬 (see Ma 1). Compare Mua 1. Some characteristic forenames: Southeast Asian Chao, Ying, Mee, Tou, Yia, Chue, Kou, Nhia, Tong, Yang, Yee, Chia, Pao, Vang, Neng, Blia, Chong, Koua, Yer, Houa, Shoua, Thai, Blong, Soua, Mai, Long, Thao, Dang, Thong, Bao, Pha, Be, Hue, Ly, Mang, Nang.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Moua in the United States?
According to the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Moua has significantly increased between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Moua was the 3347th most popular surname in the United States, with a count of 9776. However, by 2010 it had risen to the 2579th position with a count of 14013, an increase of 43.34%. The proportion of people per 100,000 with this surname also increased from 3.62 to 4.75 during this period, indicating a growth rate of 31.22%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #3,347 | #2,579 | 22.95% |
| Count | 9,776 | 14,013 | 43.34% |
| Proportion per 100k | 3.62 | 4.75 | 31.22% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Moua
In terms of ethnicity, the data from the Decennial U.S. Census reveals that the majority of individuals with the Moua surname identify as Asian/Pacific Islander. This group saw an increase from 93.31% in 2000 to 96.62% in 2010. The percentage of individuals identifying as two or more races dropped significantly, from 4.45% in 2000 to 1.18% in 2010. The proportion of White individuals also decreased over these ten years from 1.21% to 0.90%, while the Hispanic population showed a slight increase, from 0.85% to 1.15%. Interestingly, there was a small emergence of Black individuals with the Moua surname in 2010, which wasn't recorded in 2000, whereas the American Indian and Alaskan Native category remained at 0%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 93.31% | 96.62% | 3.55% |
| Two or More Races | 4.45% | 1.18% | -73.48% |
| Hispanic | 0.85% | 1.15% | 35.29% |
| White | 1.21% | 0.9% | -25.62% |
| Black | 0% | 0.15% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Moua 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 Moua is Chinese, which comprises 68.4% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are Chinese Dai (20.4%) and British & Irish (3.7%). Additional ancestries include Vietnamese, French & German, Indonesian, Thai, Khmer & Myanma, Scandinavian, and Finnish.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| Chinese | 68.4% |
| Chinese Dai | 20.4% |
| British & Irish | 3.7% |
| Other | 7.4% |
Possible origins of the surname Moua
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 Moua have recent ancestry locations all within China.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Guangdong, China | 88.90% |
| Sichuan, China | 88.90% |
| Chongqing, China | 87.50% |
| Hunan, China | 87.50% |
| Jiangsu, China | 87.50% |
What Moua 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 Moua is O-F2415, which is predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Haplogroup O-F2415 is descended from haplogroup O-M1359. Other common haplogroups include E-M183 and O-F2859, which are predominantly found among people with European and East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Moua surname are: D4e1a, R, B5a1. These most commonly trace back to individuals of East Asian & Indigenous American and European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins O-M1359
Your paternal lineage may be linked to the Cham
One of the many populations harboring members of haplogroup O1b1a1a1a1 is the Cham ethnic group, a group of people who speak Austronesian languages in Mainland Southeast Asia. Austronesian languages make up a language family that is extremely large and widespread, comprising over 350 million people on islands such as Madagascar, Easter Island, and many others. However, Austronesian languages are less common on mainland Asia, with a notable exception being the Chamic language. Research suggests that ancestors of the Cham people migrated from Southeast Asian islands to the mainland around the year 500 BCE, and that early Cham populations quickly began mixing with indigenous southern Vietnamese populations. As a result, the Chamic language now has words that were borrowed from languages spoken by indigenous Vietnamese people. It is likely that an ancestral Kinh population was one of the populations that mixed with the Cham people shortly after their migration to mainland Asia.
Your maternal lineage may be linked to the Han
Members of haplogroups B4 and B5 are quite frequent in both northern and southern Han Chinese populations. The Han people, who all share the same language and similar cultural practices, are the largest ethnic group in the world, with about 1.2 billion people. Historical evidence shows that Han people are descendants of the ancient Huaxia tribes that come from northern China, centered in Zhongyuan, China's Central Plain. The spread of Han people, language and culture from northern to southern China only occurred in the last 2,000 years, and was likely driven by warfare and famine in the north.
What do people with the surname Moua 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
Vanilla Ice Cream
Prefers vanilla flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Moua" Surname 45.5%
23andMe Users 36.7%
Traits
Cheek Dimples
Small indentations that appear on the cheeks when a person smiles.
"Moua" Surname 53.8%
23andMe Users 37.6%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Moua" Surname 9.6%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Moua?
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 Moua are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition