2000
#3,448
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,480
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.51
Uncommon Last name
Majors
Derived from the Old French "majeur," an occupational surname for a steward or official in charge of a household.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,053 Americans carry the last name Majors. That puts it at #3,600 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.22 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 31,010 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Majors surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 31,010
Census rank
#3,600
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.6K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,639 bearers of the surname Majors in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.22 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3600th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Majors, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.1%. The next largest groups are Black (25.4%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Majors
The surname Majors is of English origin, derived from the Old French word "maior," which means "greater" or "superior." It is believed that the name first emerged in the 12th century as a descriptive name for someone who held a position of authority or rank, such as a mayor or a magistrate.
In the early 13th century, the name Majors appeared in several historical records, including the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire and the Curia Regis Rolls of Yorkshire. These records provide some of the earliest documented instances of the name being used.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name Majors was Robert le Maire, who was mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273. Another early example is William le Mair, who was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327.
The name Majors is also linked to various place names across England, such as Mair's Green in Buckinghamshire and Major's Close in Gloucestershire. These place names likely originated from people with the surname Majors who lived or owned land in those areas.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Majors. One of the most famous was John Majors (1634-1699), an English composer and violinist who served as a court musician to King Charles II and King James II.
Another prominent figure was Richard Majors (1663-1719), an English clergyman and author who wrote several works on theology and biblical studies. He served as the rector of Twickenham and the vicar of Shepperton in Middlesex.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded bearers of the name Majors was John Majors (1714-1794), a British-born American planter and politician who served as a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses and the Virginia Convention.
Charles Majors (1812-1891) was a prominent American pioneer and entrepreneur who played a significant role in the development of the overland mail and freight routes across the American West during the mid-19th century.
More recently, Sir John Majors (born 1943) served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1990 to 1997, leading the Conservative Party during a turbulent period of British political history.
These are just a few examples of the many individuals throughout history who have carried the distinguished surname Majors, which has its roots in the Old French language and reflects a position of authority or rank.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Majors
Among Census respondents with the surname Majors, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.1%. The next largest groups are Black (25.4%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Majors bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Majors surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White64.1% · 6,176
- Black or African American25.4% · 2,447
- Two or more races5.2% · 501
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 373
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 75
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 67
Timeline
Historical Census data for Majors
Majors appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#3,650
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,747
+267 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 3.30
Rank movement Down 202 places
2020
#3,600
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,639
-108 bearers (-1.1%)
Per 100,000 3.22
Rank movement Up 50 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,448 | 9,480 | 3.51 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,650 | 9,747 | 3.30 | +267 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 202 places |
| 2020 | #3,600 | 9,639 | 3.22 | -108 bearers (-1.1%) | Up 50 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Majors surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #3,650 | #3,600 | 1.4% |
| Count | 9,747 | 9,639 | -1.1% |
| Per 100K | 3.30 | 3.22 | -2.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Majors bearers went from 9,747 to 9,639 (-1.1% change). The surname moved up 50 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,650 to #3,600.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Majors
FAQ
Majors surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Majors?
Name Census estimates that about 11,053 living Americans carry the surname Majors. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 31,010 residents.
How common is Majors?
Majors ranks #3,600 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.22 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,639 people with the surname Majors. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,053), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.22 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.22 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Majors.
Has Majors become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Majors went from 9,747 recorded bearers to 9,639. That is a decrease of 108 (-1.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,650 to #3,600.
What does the Census say about the background of Majors?
Among Census respondents with the surname Majors, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.1%. The next largest groups are Black (25.4%) and Two or More Races (5.2%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Majors in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.1% (6,176 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Majors appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (64.1%), Black (25.4%), Two or More Races (5.2%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Majors (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Majors mean?
Derived from the Old French "majeur," an occupational surname for a steward or official in charge of a household. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Majors (3.22 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Majors?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.