Mayo
A unisex Spanish name meaning "the elder" or "the older one".
Name Census estimates that about 440 living Americans carry the first name Mayo. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 82.8% of registrations being male. The average person named Mayo today is around 66 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mayo births was 1921 (54 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mayo. 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 Mayo is about 66 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Mayos were born before 1970.
People living today
440
~ 1 in 778,987 Americans
Peak year
1921
54 babies that year
Average age
66
years old
2005 SSA rank
#12,686
Tracked since 1893
Census
Mayo in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 780 people with the first name Mayo, which placed it at #14,921 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
#14,921
National first-name rank
People counted
780
780 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
34.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mayo
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Mayo is White at 34.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (26.5%) and Black (21.9%). 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 Mayo 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 Mayo at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White34.5% · 269
- Hispanic or Latino26.5% · 207
- Black or African American21.9% · 171
- Asian and Pacific Islander14.2% · 111
- Two or more races1.9% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 7
Gender
Gender distribution for Mayo
Mayo leans heavily male at 82.8% of total registrations, but 256 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Mayo as a male name
- Ranked #12,686 in 2005
- 5 male births in 2005
- Peak: 1915 (41 births)
Mayo as a female name
- Ranked #13,744 in 1989
- 5 female births in 1989
- Peak: 1921 (16 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Mayo on both sides of the split. Of the 785 people counted with this name, 546 were male (69.6%) and 239 were female (30.4%).
Popularity
Mayo: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Mayo from the 1890s through to the 2000s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 394 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
Mayo 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 Mayo during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Mayos live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. Louisiana, North Carolina, Texas recorded the most babies named Mayo, while Georgia, Texas, North Carolina recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 15 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Mayo
The name Mayo is believed to have its origins in the Spanish language and culture. It is derived from the word "mayo," which means the month of May in Spanish. This name was likely given to children born during this month, as it was a common practice in many cultures to name children after the time or circumstances of their birth.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Mayo can be found in the historical records of Spain, dating back to the 16th century. During this time, Spain was a prominent colonial power, and the name may have been introduced to other parts of the world through Spanish exploration and settlement.
In the religious context, the name Mayo may have been associated with the celebration of the Virgin Mary, as the month of May was traditionally dedicated to honoring the mother of Jesus in the Catholic faith. However, there is no definitive evidence of the name's usage in religious texts or scriptures.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Mayo. One of the earliest recorded figures was Mayo de Bañuelos, a Spanish nobleman and military commander who lived in the 15th century. He played a significant role in the conquest of the Canary Islands and was recognized for his bravery and leadership.
Another prominent figure was Mayo Gebre, an Ethiopian prince and military leader who lived in the 16th century. He was known for his skill in leading armies and his involvement in various conflicts during the reign of Emperor Galawdewos.
In the 19th century, Mayo Lyder was a Norwegian explorer and adventurer who led expeditions to the Arctic regions. His voyages and discoveries contributed to the advancement of geographical knowledge and exploration during that era.
Moving into the 20th century, Mayo Methot was an American actress and playwright who lived from 1904 to 1951. She was known for her work in theater and her turbulent personal life, including her marriage to renowned actor Humphrey Bogart.
Another notable figure was Mayo Hubbard, an American lawyer and politician who served as the Lieutenant Governor of Maine from 1975 to 1979. He played a significant role in state politics and was recognized for his dedication to public service.
While the name Mayo is not as common today as it was in previous centuries, it holds a rich historical legacy that spans various cultures, professions, and time periods. Its origins in the Spanish language and association with the month of May have contributed to its unique meaning and enduring presence throughout history.
People
Mayo + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mayo 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
Mayo: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mayo?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 440 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mayo 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 778,987 US residents.
Is Mayo a common name?
We classify Mayo as "Very Rare". It ranks above 83.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,492 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mayo most popular?
The single biggest year for Mayo was 1921, when 54 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mayo is about 66 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Mayo in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 780 people with the name Mayo, or 0.26 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #14,921 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 Mayo 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 Mayo?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Mayo on both sides of the split. Of the 785 people counted with this name, 546 were male (69.6%) and 239 were female (30.4%). 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 Mayo?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Mayo is White at 34.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (26.5%) and Black (21.9%). 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 Mayo most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Mayo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 34.5% (269 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 Mayo in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Mayo a male name?
Yes, 82.8% of people registered as Mayo in the SSA data are male. 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 Mayo still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Mayo 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 Mayo 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 the name Mayo?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.