2000
#458
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 65,779
First available Census row
Per 100,000 24.38
Uncommon Last name
Maxwell
A Scottish patronymic surname meaning "son of Mack" or "son of Maxwell," likely derived from a placename.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 75,488 Americans carry the last name Maxwell. That puts it at #497 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 22.02 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 4,541 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Maxwell 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Maxwell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
75K
1 in 4,541
Census rank
#497
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
22.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
66K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 65,829 bearers of the surname Maxwell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 22.02 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 497th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Maxwell, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.1%. The next largest groups are Black (20.2%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Maxwell
The surname Maxwell has its origins in Scotland, first appearing in the early 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words "mæssere" meaning "monk" and "welle" meaning "stream", referring to a monastery or chapel near a stream or spring. The name likely originated in the area around the town of Maxwell in Roxburghshire, Scotland.
The earliest recorded reference to the surname is found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, where Aymer de Maxwell is listed as a landowner who swore fealty to King Edward I of England. Another early record is from the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1390, which mentions John de Maxwell of Caerlaverock.
The Maxwell family played a prominent role in Scottish history, with several members holding important positions and titles. One notable figure was Sir Herbert Maxwell, who was appointed Lord Maxwell in 1445 and later became the 1st Lord Maxwell. Another was Robert Maxwell, the 5th Lord Maxwell (c.1493-1546), who fought against the English at the Battle of Solway Moss in 1542.
In England, the name is also found in early records, such as the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, which mentions a Richard Maxwell. The Maxwells were also landowners in Northumberland and Cumberland, with the village of Maxwell in Cumbria likely named after them.
Other historical figures with the surname Maxwell include:
1. James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879), a Scottish scientist who made significant contributions to the fields of mathematics and physics, including the development of the classical theory of electromagnetic radiation.
2. Constantine Maxwell (c.1592-1622), a Scottish poet and courtier during the reign of King James VI of Scotland and I of England.
3. Sir Murray Maxwell (1775-1831), a Scottish naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars and later became a colonial governor.
4. William Maxwell (1908-2000), an American novelist and short story writer, best known for his works "The Folded Leaf" and "So Long, See You Tomorrow".
5. John Maxwell (c.1590-1647), a Scottish Presbyterian minister and theologian who played a significant role in the Scottish Reformation.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Maxwell
Among Census respondents with the surname Maxwell, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.1%. The next largest groups are Black (20.2%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Maxwell 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 Maxwell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.1% · 46,174
- Black or African American20.2% · 13,294
- Two or more races4.4% · 2,887
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 2,652
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 480
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 342
Timeline
Historical Census data for Maxwell
Maxwell 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
#490
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 67,961
+2,182 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 23.04
Rank movement Down 32 places
2020
#497
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 65,829
-2,132 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 22.02
Rank movement Down 7 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #458 | 65,779 | 24.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #490 | 67,961 | 23.04 | +2,182 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 32 places |
| 2020 | #497 | 65,829 | 22.02 | -2,132 bearers (-3.1%) | Down 7 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 Maxwell 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 | #490 | #497 | -1.4% |
| Count | 67,961 | 65,829 | -3.1% |
| Per 100K | 23.04 | 22.02 | -4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Maxwell bearers went from 67,961 to 65,829 (-3.1% change). The surname moved down 7 positions in the national ranking, going from #490 to #497.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Maxwell
FAQ
Maxwell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Maxwell?
Name Census estimates that about 75,488 living Americans carry the surname Maxwell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 4,541 residents.
How common is Maxwell?
Maxwell ranks #497 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 22.02 per 100,000 residents, which is about 22 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 65,829 people with the surname Maxwell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (75,488), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 22.02 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 22.02 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 22 of them to have the surname Maxwell.
Has Maxwell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Maxwell went from 67,961 recorded bearers to 65,829. That is a decrease of 2,132 (-3.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #490 to #497.
What does the Census say about the background of Maxwell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Maxwell, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.1%. The next largest groups are Black (20.2%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Maxwell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.1% (46,174 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Maxwell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.1%), Black (20.2%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Maxwell (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 Maxwell mean?
A Scottish patronymic surname meaning "son of Mack" or "son of Maxwell," likely derived from a placename. 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 Maxwell (22.02 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 share the surname Maxwell?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.