2000
#884
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 35,648
First available Census row
Per 100,000 13.21
Uncommon Last name
Maynard
One who came from Magnard, Normandy, or an occupational name for a stonecutter or sculptor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 39,852 Americans carry the last name Maynard. That puts it at #987 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 11.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 8,601 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Maynard 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 Maynard with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
40K
1 in 8,601
Census rank
#987
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
11.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
35K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 34,753 bearers of the surname Maynard in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 11.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 987th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Maynard, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Maynard
The surname Maynard is of French origin, deriving from the Old French personal name Mainard, which itself is a combination of the Germanic elements "magin" meaning "strength" and "hard" meaning "hardy" or "brave". This name first emerged during the Medieval period in France, particularly in the region of Normandy.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the Maynard name was William Maynard, who was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as a landholder in Essex, England. This suggests that the name had already spread from France to England by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the Maynard family continued to hold lands and positions of prominence in various parts of England. Notable individuals included Sir John Maynard (c. 1315-1363), a knight who served in the army of Edward III during the Hundred Years' War, and Sir Henry Maynard (c. 1500-1563), who was appointed Lord Lieutenant of the Tower of London during the reign of Queen Mary I.
In the 17th century, the Maynard name gained further recognition through the exploits of Lord William Maynard (1640-1718), a prominent English politician and baronet who served as a Member of Parliament and was involved in the Glorious Revolution of 1688. Another influential figure was Sir John Maynard (1592-1658), a celebrated lawyer and statesman who served as Lord Commissioner of the Great Seal under Oliver Cromwell.
The Maynard surname has also been associated with various place names, such as Maynard's Green in Essex and Maynard's Court in Hampshire, reflecting the family's historical landholdings and influence in these regions.
Other notable individuals bearing the Maynard name throughout history include Sir Thomas Maynard (1669-1742), a British diplomat and Member of Parliament, and Lord Francis Maynard (1778-1865), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for several constituencies.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Maynard
Among Census respondents with the surname Maynard, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Maynard 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 Maynard surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.7% · 29,426
- Black or African American7.1% · 2,466
- Two or more races3.6% · 1,252
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 1,192
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 224
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 193
Timeline
Historical Census data for Maynard
Maynard 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
#953
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 36,460
+812 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 12.36
Rank movement Down 69 places
2020
#987
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 34,753
-1,707 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 11.63
Rank movement Down 34 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #884 | 35,648 | 13.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #953 | 36,460 | 12.36 | +812 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 69 places |
| 2020 | #987 | 34,753 | 11.63 | -1,707 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 34 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 Maynard 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 | #953 | #987 | -3.6% |
| Count | 36,460 | 34,753 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 12.36 | 11.63 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Maynard bearers went from 36,460 to 34,753 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 34 positions in the national ranking, going from #953 to #987.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Maynard
FAQ
Maynard surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Maynard?
Name Census estimates that about 39,852 living Americans carry the surname Maynard. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 8,601 residents.
How common is Maynard?
Maynard ranks #987 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 11.63 per 100,000 residents, which is about 12 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 34,753 people with the surname Maynard. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (39,852), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 11.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 11.63 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 12 of them to have the surname Maynard.
Has Maynard become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Maynard went from 36,460 recorded bearers to 34,753. That is a decrease of 1,707 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #953 to #987.
What does the Census say about the background of Maynard?
Among Census respondents with the surname Maynard, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Maynard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.7% (29,426 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Maynard appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.7%), Black (7.1%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Maynard (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 Maynard mean?
One who came from Magnard, Normandy, or an occupational name for a stonecutter or sculptor. 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 Maynard (11.63 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 Maynard?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.