2000
#3,469
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,410
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.49
Uncommon Last name
Maas
A Dutch toponymic surname indicating an origin near a body of water, such as a river or lake.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,182 Americans carry the last name Maas. That puts it at #3,887 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.97 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 33,663 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Maas 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 Maas with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
10K
1 in 33,663
Census rank
#3,887
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.9K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,879 bearers of the surname Maas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.97 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3887th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Maas, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Maas
The surname MAAS has its origins in the Netherlands and dates back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to be derived from the Old Dutch word "maes," which referred to a meadow or grassy field. This suggests that the name may have initially been used to denote someone who lived near or owned such a meadow.
In the early records, the name appears with various spellings, such as Maes, Maes, and Maesse, reflecting the regional dialects and linguistic variations of the time. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Oorkondenboek van Holland en Zeeland, a collection of historical documents from the 13th century, where a certain Wilhelmus Maes is mentioned.
The name MAAS gained prominence in the Netherlands during the Renaissance period, and several notable individuals bore this surname. One such figure was Dirck Maas (1535-1615), a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his landscapes and portraits. Another was Philips Maas (1585-1650), a Dutch engraver and printmaker who worked in the Baroque style.
In the 17th century, the name MAAS also appeared in various European countries due to migration and trade. For instance, in England, there are records of a William Maas (1612-1688), a merchant and landowner from London. Similarly, in Germany, there was Johann Maas (1649-1726), a Lutheran theologian and author from Saxony.
As the Dutch colonial empire expanded, the name MAAS traveled across the globe. One notable example is Nicolaas Maas (1786-1858), a Dutch-born soldier and colonial administrator who served as the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia) from 1844 to 1848.
Throughout its history, the surname MAAS has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including artists, scholars, merchants, and military leaders. While its origins can be traced back to the Netherlands, the name has since spread across the world, reflecting the migration patterns and cultural exchanges of the past centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Maas
Among Census respondents with the surname Maas, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Maas 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 Maas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 8,133
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 348
- Two or more races2.7% · 238
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 84
- Black or African American0.5% · 43
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 33
Timeline
Historical Census data for Maas
Maas 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
#3,818
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,285
-125 bearers (-1.3%)
Per 100,000 3.15
Rank movement Down 349 places
2020
#3,887
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,879
-406 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 2.97
Rank movement Down 69 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,469 | 9,410 | 3.49 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,818 | 9,285 | 3.15 | -125 bearers (-1.3%) | Down 349 places |
| 2020 | #3,887 | 8,879 | 2.97 | -406 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 69 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 Maas 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 | #3,818 | #3,887 | -1.8% |
| Count | 9,285 | 8,879 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 3.15 | 2.97 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Maas bearers went from 9,285 to 8,879 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 69 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,818 to #3,887.
FAQ
Maas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Maas?
Name Census estimates that about 10,182 living Americans carry the surname Maas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 33,663 residents.
How common is Maas?
Maas ranks #3,887 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.97 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,879 people with the surname Maas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,182), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.97 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.97 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Maas.
Has Maas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Maas went from 9,285 recorded bearers to 8,879. That is a decrease of 406 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,818 to #3,887.
What does the Census say about the background of Maas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Maas, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Maas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (8,133 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Maas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Hispanic (3.9%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Maas (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 Maas mean?
A Dutch toponymic surname indicating an origin near a body of water, such as a river or lake. 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 Maas (2.97 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 Maas?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.