2000
#1,302
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,853
First available Census row
Per 100,000 9.21
Uncommon Last name
Mayes
Derived from the Middle English given name "Maie" or "Maye," which is a shortened form of Matthew or May.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 27,105 Americans carry the last name Mayes. That puts it at #1,470 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.91 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 12,645 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mayes 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 Mayes with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
27K
1 in 12,645
Census rank
#1,470
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
24K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 23,637 bearers of the surname Mayes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.91 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1470th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mayes, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.7%. The next largest groups are Black (32.0%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mayes
The surname Mayes originated in England, with roots dating back to the early medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old French word "maisnil," which referred to a household or family group. This term later evolved into the English word "menial," meaning a servant or domestic worker.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Mayes surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land and property commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears as "Maisnil," reflecting its French origins.
During the Middle Ages, the Mayes family was concentrated primarily in the counties of Oxfordshire and Berkshire, where they held land and property. Notable historical figures bearing this surname include Sir John Mayes, a prominent knight who fought in the Wars of the Roses during the 15th century.
In the 16th century, the spelling of the name began to evolve, with variations such as "Mayse" and "Mays" appearing in various records. This period also saw the emergence of several notable Mayes individuals, including Robert Mayes, a renowned English theologian and clergyman born in 1570.
As the Mayes family spread across England, they established connections with various place names. For example, the village of Mayfield in Sussex is believed to be derived from the surname, indicating a settlement or estate owned by the Mayes family.
Other notable figures with the Mayes surname include William Mayes (1629-1701), an English Puritan minister and author, and Sir John Mayes (1597-1660), a Member of Parliament and supporter of the Parliamentarian cause during the English Civil War.
Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, the Mayes surname continued to be well-represented in various professions, including law, medicine, and the clergy. One notable example is Thomas Mayes (1691-1767), an English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Stamford Rivers in Essex.
In the 19th century, the industrialization of England saw many Mayes families migrate to urban centers in search of employment. This period also saw the emergence of several prominent Mayes figures in fields such as art and literature, including the painter John Mayes (1820-1897) and the novelist and poet Mary Mayes (1854-1932).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mayes
Among Census respondents with the surname Mayes, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.7%. The next largest groups are Black (32.0%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Mayes 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 Mayes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White57.7% · 13,641
- Black or African American32.0% · 7,574
- Two or more races5.3% · 1,255
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 922
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 131
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 114
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mayes
Mayes 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
#1,408
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,256
+403 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 8.56
Rank movement Down 106 places
2020
#1,470
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,637
-1,619 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 7.91
Rank movement Down 62 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,302 | 24,853 | 9.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,408 | 25,256 | 8.56 | +403 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 106 places |
| 2020 | #1,470 | 23,637 | 7.91 | -1,619 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 62 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 Mayes 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 | #1,408 | #1,470 | -4.4% |
| Count | 25,256 | 23,637 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 8.56 | 7.91 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mayes bearers went from 25,256 to 23,637 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 62 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,408 to #1,470.
FAQ
Mayes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mayes?
Name Census estimates that about 27,105 living Americans carry the surname Mayes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 12,645 residents.
How common is Mayes?
Mayes ranks #1,470 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.91 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 23,637 people with the surname Mayes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (27,105), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.91 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.91 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Mayes.
Has Mayes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mayes went from 25,256 recorded bearers to 23,637. That is a decrease of 1,619 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,408 to #1,470.
What does the Census say about the background of Mayes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mayes, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.7%. The next largest groups are Black (32.0%) and Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Mayes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.7% (13,641 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mayes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (57.7%), Black (32.0%), Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Mayes (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 Mayes mean?
Derived from the Middle English given name "Maie" or "Maye," which is a shortened form of Matthew or May. 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 Mayes (7.91 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 last name Mayes?
Find out how many people are called Mayes on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.