NameCensus.

UK surname

Moar

A Scottish surname derived from a nickname referring to someone of larger physical stature.

In the 1881 census there were 469 people recorded with the Moar surname, ranking it #7,106 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 490, ranked #10,129, down from #7,106 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Fetlar and Yell, Evie and Rendall and Stromness. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include West Mainland, Lerwick South and West Kirkwall.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Moar is 551 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 4.5%.

1881 census count

469

Ranked #7,106

Modern count

490

2016, ranked #10,129

Peak year

1901

551 bearers

Map years

8

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Moar had 469 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #7,106 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 490 in 2016, ranked #10,129.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 551 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Moar surname distribution map

The map shows where the Moar surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Moar surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Moar over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 498 #5,020
1861 historical 503 #5,200
1881 historical 469 #7,106
1891 historical 545 #6,931
1901 historical 551 #7,524
1911 historical 70 #25,853
1997 modern 407 #10,869
1998 modern 429 #10,795
1999 modern 420 #11,035
2000 modern 454 #10,360
2001 modern 431 #10,606
2002 modern 442 #10,605
2003 modern 429 #10,684
2004 modern 441 #10,474
2005 modern 442 #10,346
2006 modern 436 #10,506
2007 modern 436 #10,597
2008 modern 427 #10,892
2009 modern 429 #11,094
2010 modern 443 #11,046
2011 modern 460 #10,594
2012 modern 457 #10,548
2013 modern 474 #10,421
2014 modern 485 #10,327
2015 modern 486 #10,216
2016 modern 490 #10,129

Geography

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Where Moars are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Fetlar and Yell, Evie and Rendall, Stromness, Birsay and Harray and Sandsting and Aithsting. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to West Mainland, Lerwick South, West Kirkwall, East Mainland and Stromness, Sandwick and Stenness. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Fetlar and Yell Shetland
2 Evie and Rendall Orkney
3 Stromness Orkney
4 Birsay and Harray Orkney
5 Sandsting and Aithsting Shetland

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 West Mainland Orkney Islands
2 Lerwick South Shetland Islands
3 West Kirkwall Orkney Islands
4 East Mainland Orkney Islands
5 Stromness, Sandwick and Stenness Orkney Islands

Forenames

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First names often paired with Moar

These lists show first names that appear often with the Moar surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Moar

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Moar, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Retired Professionals

Group

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Moar surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Moar household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Moar is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Moar is most concentrated in decile 7 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Moar falls in decile 7 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Moar is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Moar, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Moar

The surname MOAR is believed to have originated in the Shetland Islands, an archipelago located in the Northern Isles of Scotland. The earliest records of this name date back to the 16th century, where it was often spelled as "Moir" or "Moir-Car". The name is thought to be derived from the Old Norse word "mōr", meaning "moorland" or "heath".

In the 17th century, the name MOAR started appearing in various parish records and legal documents across the Shetland Islands. One notable mention is in the Shetland Court Books from 1615, which references a certain "Magnus Moar" who was involved in a land dispute.

The name MOAR is closely associated with the island of Unst, which is part of the Shetland archipelago. In the 18th century, there were several families with the surname MOAR residing in the village of Norwick on the island of Unst. The oldest known record of this name from Unst is a birth record from 1726, listing the baptism of "James Moar".

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname MOAR was John Moar, who was born in 1702 in the village of Balliasta on the island of Unst. He was a prominent figure in the local community and served as a parish clerk for several decades.

Another notable figure with the MOAR surname was Magnus Moar (1793-1875), a renowned poet and storyteller from the island of Unst. He is often credited with preserving many traditional Shetland tales and ballads through his writings and oral recitations.

In the 19th century, the MOAR surname began to spread beyond the Shetland Islands as families migrated to other parts of Scotland and even further afield. One such individual was Alexander Moar (1815-1892), who was born in Unst but later settled in Dundee, where he worked as a shipwright.

Another individual of note is William Moar (1871-1938), a Scottish artist and painter who was born in Aberdeenshire. Although not directly from the Shetland Islands, his surname likely has origins in the same Old Norse root as the Shetland Moar families.

While the surname MOAR is most prevalent in the Shetland Islands and Scotland, it has also been documented in other parts of the United Kingdom and beyond, likely due to migration and intermarriage over the centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Moar families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Moar surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Orkney leads with 226 Moars recorded in 1881 and an index of 449.04x.

County Total Index
Orkney 226 449.04x
Shetland 203 434.50x
Midlothian 15 2.45x
Cheshire 4 0.40x
Essex 4 0.44x
Lancashire 4 0.07x
Durham 3 0.22x
Northumberland 3 0.44x
Aberdeenshire 2 0.47x
Caithness 2 3.19x
Lanarkshire 2 0.14x
Kinross-shire 1 8.65x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. North Yell in Shetland leads with 114 Moars recorded in 1881 and an index of 8837.21x.

Place Total Index
North Yell 114 8837.21x
Birsay Harray 96 2630.14x
Sandwick 52 2751.32x
Sandsting Aitsting 38 898.35x
Stromness 35 925.93x
Evie Rendall 23 1079.81x
Unst 20 584.80x
Yell Mid 19 1233.77x
Kirkwall St Ola 9 119.36x
Lerwick Gulberwick 6 82.99x
North Leith 6 21.16x
Whiteness Weisdale 6 425.53x
South Leith 5 7.25x
Cross Burness N 4 152.09x
Poulton Cum Seacombe 4 34.42x
West Ham 4 2.01x
Chirton 3 19.48x
Hoy Graemsay 3 319.15x
Toxteth Park 3 1.63x
Birse 2 116.28x
Coxhoe 2 51.81x
Edinburgh St Andrews 2 39.53x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 2 0.81x
Firth Stenness 2 92.59x
Wick 2 9.89x
Barony 1 0.27x
Blackrod 1 14.81x
Holm 1 59.17x
Orphir 1 62.50x
Portmoak 1 60.98x
Shotts 1 5.65x
Stockton On Tees 1 1.52x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Moar surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Moar surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Thomas 2
William 2
Alec 1
Andrew 1
Geo. 1
John 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Moar households.

FAQ

Moar surname: questions and answers

How common was the Moar surname in 1881?

In 1881, 469 people were recorded with the Moar surname. That placed it at #7,106 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Moar surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 490 in 2016. That gives Moar a modern rank of #10,129.

What does the Moar surname mean?

A Scottish surname derived from a nickname referring to someone of larger physical stature.

What does the Moar map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Moar bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.