Explore the Family Name Moy
The meaning of Moy
1. Irish (Donegal): Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Muighe ‘descendant of Muighe’, a personal name of unexplained etymology. 2. English (Norfolk) and Irish (of Norman origin): habitational name from Moy (Aisne, Saône-et-Loire; see 5) or Mouy (Oise), France. 3. Norwegian: habitational name from any of several farmsteads in southwestern Norway named Moi, from Old Norse mói, the dative case of mór ‘sandy plain’. 4. Swiss German: perhaps a nickname from Middle High German moie ‘neat, beautiful’. 5. French: habitational name from any of the places so called in Aisne and Saône-et-Loire, named in Latin as Modiacum ‘(estate) of Modius’ (from Modius, a personal name derived from Latin modus ‘measure’). 6. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 梅 possibly based on its prouniciation in the Siyi Cantonese subdialect (also known as Sze Yup or Four Districts dialect spoken in southern Guangdong) or Hakka dialect (spoken in southern China and certain other parts of Southeast Asia); see Mei 1. Some characteristic forenames: Chinese Wah, Ming, Wai, Wing, Hing, Kin, Sun, Hong, Kee, Kwong, Lai, Siu.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Moy in the United States?
According to the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Moy has seen a minor decrease from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, Moy ranked as the 3,827th most common surname in the United States with a total count of 8,523 people carrying it. By 2010, the rank had dropped to 4,046 despite a slight increase in the count to 8,781. This implies that while the number of individuals with the surname Moy increased by 3.03%, other surnames grew at a faster rate, resulting in the decreased ranking and a reduced proportion per 100k from 3.16 to 2.98.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #3,827 | #4,046 | -5.72% |
| Count | 8,523 | 8,781 | 3.03% |
| Proportion per 100k | 3.16 | 2.98 | -5.7% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Moy
In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows a majority of those with the surname Moy identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander, although this percentage declined slightly from 69.52% in 2000 to 67.90% in 2010. The next most common ethnic identity was White, with 18.89% in 2000 decreasing marginally to 18.59% in 2010. Individuals identifying as two or more races increased from 5.19% to 5.64%. The proportion of Hispanic individuals saw a significant increase of 63.24%, moving from 2.04% to 3.33%, while the Black population also saw a slight increase, from 4.05% to 4.27%. Comparatively, American Indian and Alaskan Native representation decreased by 12.50% but remained the smallest group, dropping from 0.32% to 0.28%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 69.52% | 67.9% | -2.33% |
| White | 18.89% | 18.59% | -1.59% |
| Two or More Races | 5.19% | 5.64% | 8.67% |
| Black | 4.05% | 4.27% | 5.43% |
| Hispanic | 2.04% | 3.33% | 63.24% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.32% | 0.28% | -12.5% |
Moy 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 Moy is Chinese, which comprises 48.3% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (17.2%) and French & German (9.1%). Additional ancestries include Chinese Dai, Vietnamese, Eastern European, Italian, and Korean.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| Chinese | 48.3% |
| British & Irish | 17.2% |
| French & German | 9.1% |
| Other | 25.4% |
Possible origins of the surname Moy
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 Moy have recent ancestry locations in China and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Guangdong, China | 61.70% |
| Fujian, China | 52.20% |
| Jiangsu, China | 50.00% |
| Shanghai, China | 49.40% |
| Shandong, China | 47.80% |
What Moy 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 Moy is C-F1699, which is predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Haplogroup C-F1699 is descended from haplogroup C-M217. Other common haplogroups include C-M217 and O-F1095, which are predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American and East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Mei, Guan, Lee, Zwick, Eberhard, Nice, Nicely, Nick, Earp, Earls.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Moy surname are: H1, H, D4. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins C-M217
Your paternal lineage may be linked to Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan, the Mongolian conqueror that lived from 1162 to 1227 CE, was likely a member of haplogroup C-M217, and may be responsible for the spread of one of its branches. Half of a percent of all men on Earth, and 8% of men in the region reaching from northeastern China to Uzbekistan, may descend from Genghis Khan. His lineage is most common in Hazara, Mongolian, Uygur, Chinese Kazak, and Inner Mongolian Han populations.
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 Moy 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.
"Moy" Surname 32.1%
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.
"Moy" Surname 35.1%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Moy" Surname 13.9%
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.
"Moy" Surname 6.7%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Moy?
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 Moy are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition