Explore the Family Name Moura
The meaning of Moura
1. Portuguese and Galician: habitational name from Moura in Beja, Portugal, or from any of the like named places in Galicia. 2. French (mainly Gascogne): dialect variant of More ‘Moor’. Compare Moure. 3. French (mainly Nord): probably a topographic name from old Picard moure ‘marsh’. Some characteristic forenames: Spanish Manuel, Jose, Fernando, Ana, Carlos, Silvino, Domingos, Geraldo, Luis, Luiz, Mario, Pedro. Portuguese Heitor, Joao, Henrique, Joaquim, Marcio, Paulo.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Moura in the United States?
According to data sourced from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Moura in the United States witnessed a significant increase between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Moura was the 15,648th most common surname, but by 2010, it had climbed to the 13,976th spot, marking an upward shift of 10.69%. The count of people with this surname also rose from 1,715 in 2000 to 2,157 in 2010, indicating an impressive rise of 25.77%. Consequently, the proportion of people named Moura per 100,000 people also grew from 0.64 in 2000 to 0.73 in 2010, showing a change of 14.06%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #15,648 | #13,976 | 10.69% |
| Count | 1,715 | 2,157 | 25.77% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.64 | 0.73 | 14.06% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Moura
On the subject of ethnic identity, the Decennial U.S. Census data presents an interesting overview. The percentage of Mouras identifying as white increased from 77.78% in 2000 to 83.50% in 2010, reflecting a 7.35% change. The representation of Mouras within the Black community also experienced a significant surge of 171.17%, moving from 1.11% in 2000 to 3.01% in 2010. However, Mouras identifying as two or more races saw a notable decrease of 76.66%, dropping from 11.31% in 2000 to just 2.64% in 2010. The Hispanic Moura population remained relatively stable with a minor decrease of 1.10%, while the Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian and Alaskan Native categories observed a drop to zero, indicating suppressed data due to privacy concerns.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 77.78% | 83.5% | 7.35% |
| Hispanic | 8.16% | 8.07% | -1.1% |
| Black | 1.11% | 3.01% | 171.17% |
| Two or More Races | 11.31% | 2.64% | -76.66% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 1.22% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.41% | 0% | 0% |
Moura 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 Moura is Spanish & Portuguese, which comprises 62.4% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (12.3%) and French & German (6.1%). Additional ancestries include Italian, Indigenous American, Angolan & Congolese, Scandinavian, and Nigerian.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| Spanish & Portuguese | 62.4% |
| British & Irish | 12.3% |
| French & German | 6.1% |
| Other | 19.1% |
Possible origins of the surname Moura
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 Moura have recent ancestry locations in Portugal and Brazil.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Azores, Portugal | 76.90% |
| Madeira, Portugal | 76.90% |
| Lisbon, Portugal | 75.80% |
| Aveiro District, Portugal | 74.70% |
| Porto District, Portugal | 71.40% |
What Moura 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 Moura 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 Moura surname are: H1, N, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of 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 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 Moura 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.
"Moura" Surname 44.0%
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.
"Moura" Surname 31.2%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Kinesthetic Learner
Preferring to learn and process information through hands-on activities, practical experiences, and active engagement.
"Moura" Surname 45.5%
23andMe Users 61.5%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Moura" Surname 17.6%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Moura?
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 Moura are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition