Mayetta
A feminine name derived from the name May, a variant of Mary meaning "bitter" or "beloved".
Name Census estimates that about 50 living Americans carry the first name Mayetta. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Mayetta today is around 79 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mayetta births was 1918 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mayetta. 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.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Mayetta is about 79 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Mayettas were born before 1957.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Mayetta. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
50
~ 1 in 6,855,087 Americans
Peak year
1918
15 babies that year
Average age
79
years old
1960 SSA rank
#5,034
Tracked since 1909
Census
Mayetta in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 125 people with the first name Mayetta, which placed it at #49,507 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#49,507
National first-name rank
People counted
125
125 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
57.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mayetta
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Mayetta is White at 57.6%. The next largest groups are Black (34.4%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Mayetta 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 name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Mayetta at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White57.6% · 72
- Black or African American34.4% · 43
- Two or more races4.0% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Popularity
Mayetta: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Mayetta from the 1900s through to the 1960s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 74 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Mayetta 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 Mayetta during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Mayetta
The name Mayetta is believed to have originated from the Native American Choctaw language. It is derived from the Choctaw word "mayah," which means "prosperous" or "flourishing." The Choctaw people are a Native American tribe that historically inhabited the Southeastern United States, primarily in the areas now known as Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana.
The earliest recorded use of the name Mayetta can be traced back to the late 18th century and early 19th century. It was commonly given to female children born within the Choctaw tribe during this time period. The name's popularity among the Choctaw people is likely attributed to its positive connotation and the cultural significance of promoting prosperity and growth.
While the name Mayetta does not appear to have been explicitly mentioned in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it holds historical significance within the Choctaw culture and their oral traditions. The name's connection to the Choctaw language and its meaning reflect the tribe's values and aspirations for their children.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Mayetta was Mayetta Kye, a Choctaw woman born in the late 18th century. She was known for her skillful weaving and her contributions to preserving the Choctaw language and traditions. Another notable figure was Mayetta Huntington (1860-1932), a Choctaw educator and advocate for Native American rights.
Other historical figures with the name Mayetta include Mayetta Chavez (1892-1973), a Choctaw artist and potter who helped revive traditional pottery techniques; Mayetta Callahan (1923-2005), a Choctaw author and storyteller; and Mayetta Nez (1900-1988), a Choctaw activist and leader who worked to protect the rights and land of her tribe.
While the name Mayetta may not be as widely recognized today, it holds a rich cultural heritage and serves as a reminder of the vibrant Native American traditions and languages that have shaped the diverse tapestry of American history.
People
Mayetta + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mayetta 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
Mayetta: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mayetta?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 50 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mayetta 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 6,855,087 US residents.
Is Mayetta a common name?
We classify Mayetta as "Very Rare". It ranks above 54.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 238 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mayetta most popular?
The single biggest year for Mayetta was 1918, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mayetta is about 79 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Mayetta in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 125 people with the name Mayetta, or 0.04 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #49,507 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Mayetta in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Mayetta?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Mayetta leans strongly female. 125 people counted with this name were female (96.9%), compared with 4 male bearers (3.1%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Mayetta?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Mayetta is White at 57.6%. The next largest groups are Black (34.4%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Mayetta most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Mayetta in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.6% (72 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Mayetta in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Mayetta a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Mayetta 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.
Is Mayetta still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Mayetta in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Mayetta can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
How many people have Mayetta as a first name?
If you just want to know how many people have the name Mayetta, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.