Maize
A name of Spanish origin referring to the maize plant.
Name Census estimates that about 267 living Americans carry the first name Maize. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 66.5% of registrations being female. The average person named Maize today is around 7 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Maize births was 2022 (36 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Maize. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
267
~ 1 in 1,283,724 Americans
Peak year
2022
36 babies that year
Average age
7
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,347
Tracked since 2002
Gender
Gender distribution for Maize
Maize is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 269 total registrations, 90 (33.5%) were male and 179 (66.5%) were female.
Maize as a male name
- Ranked #5,347 in 2024
- 18 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (18 births)
Maize as a female name
- Ranked #6,527 in 2024
- 18 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2022 (26 births)
Popularity
Maize: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Maize from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 149 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Maize by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Maize during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Maizes live
Origin
Meaning and history of Maize
The name Maize is derived from the Spanish word "maíz," which itself comes from the Taino language spoken by indigenous peoples of the Caribbean. The word "maíz" referred to the staple crop that we know today as corn or maize. The name has its origins in the pre-Columbian era, before the arrival of European explorers in the Americas.
Maize was an essential crop for many Native American civilizations, including the Aztecs, Mayans, and Incas. It played a significant role in their cultural traditions, mythology, and daily sustenance. However, there is no evidence of the name being used as a personal name during this time period.
The earliest recorded use of Maize as a given name dates back to the late 19th century, when it began to appear in some English-speaking regions. It is speculated that the name was adopted as a symbolic reference to the importance of the crop in the Americas.
One of the earliest known individuals with the name Maize was Maize Raiford Kendrick, an American blues singer born in 1892 in Mississippi. He was known for his influential contributions to the development of blues music in the early 20th century.
Another noteworthy person named Maize was Maize Doherty, an Irish-American actress born in 1916 in New York City. She had a successful career in theater and television, appearing in various Broadway productions and TV shows throughout the mid-20th century.
In the field of sports, Maize Rage is the name given to the student section of the University of Michigan's basketball team. The name, which became popular in the 1990s, pays homage to the school's maize and blue colors while also referencing the fervor of the student fans.
Maize Aderaldo was a Brazilian writer and journalist born in 1920. He was known for his contributions to the literary and cultural scene in Brazil during the mid-20th century.
Lastly, Maize Curriko Kemmons Wilson was an American businessman and entrepreneur born in 1913. He founded the Holiday Inn hotel chain, which became one of the largest and most successful hospitality companies in the world.
While not a common name, Maize has been used throughout history as a given name, often carrying symbolic or cultural references to the importance of the maize crop in various regions of the Americas.
People
Maize + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Maize as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Maize: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Maize?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 267 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Maize going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,283,724 US residents.
Is Maize a common name?
We classify Maize as "Very Rare". It ranks above 77.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 269 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Maize most popular?
The single biggest year for Maize was 2022, when 36 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Maize is about 7 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Maize a female name?
Yes, 66.5% of people registered as Maize in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.