2000
#26,520
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 865
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.32
Very Rare Last name
Maben
A variant of the surname Mabin, originating from a Scottish place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 961 Americans carry the last name Maben. That puts it at #29,943 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.28 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 356,664 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Maben 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 Maben with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
961
1 in 356,664
Census rank
#29,943
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
838
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 838 bearers of the surname Maben in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.28 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 29943rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Maben, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.6%. The next largest groups are Black (27.8%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Maben
The surname Maben is of Scottish origin, believed to have originated in the Highlands region of Scotland during the 12th century. It is thought to be derived from the Gaelic word "maban," which means "little bald one" or "little tonsured one," suggesting that the name may have originally been a nickname given to a monk or someone with a tonsured head.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Maben can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a series of parchment rolls that documented the names of Scottish nobles and landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England after his conquest of Scotland. The name appears as "Mabane," which is likely an early spelling variation.
During the 16th century, the name Maben was particularly prevalent in the Scottish counties of Argyll and Inverness, where it is believed to have originated. In the parish records of Kilmallie, Inverness-shire, there are several references to individuals with the surname Maben, including John Maben, who was recorded as a tenant farmer in 1596.
One notable individual with the surname Maben was Sir William Maben (1615-1682), a Scottish lawyer and judge who served as Lord Advocate of Scotland from 1677 to 1682. He was also a member of the Convention of Estates, which played a crucial role in the Glorious Revolution of 1688.
Another significant figure was Alexander Maben (1766-1842), a Scottish merchant and banker who co-founded the British Linen Bank in 1746. He was also involved in the establishment of the Royal Bank of Scotland and served as its first governor from 1727 to 1729.
In the 18th century, the name Maben was also found in parts of Ireland, particularly in County Antrim, where it is believed that some Scottish families with the surname had settled during the Plantation of Ulster in the early 17th century. One notable individual from this region was Robert Maben (1780-1857), an Irish-born merchant and shipowner who made his fortune in the West Indies trade.
Another notable figure was John Maben (1872-1946), a Scottish-born Australian politician who served as a member of the Australian House of Representatives from 1913 to 1922, representing the Labor Party.
While the surname Maben is relatively uncommon today, it continues to be found in various parts of the world, particularly in Scotland, Ireland, England, and Australia, where families with this surname have established roots over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Maben
Among Census respondents with the surname Maben, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.6%. The next largest groups are Black (27.8%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Maben 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 Maben surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White60.6% · 508
- Black or African American27.8% · 233
- Two or more races4.7% · 39
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.5% · 29
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Maben
Maben 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
#26,261
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 930
+65 bearers (+7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.32
Rank movement Up 259 places
2020
#29,943
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 838
-92 bearers (-9.9%)
Per 100,000 0.28
Rank movement Down 3,682 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #26,520 | 865 | 0.32 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #26,261 | 930 | 0.32 | +65 bearers (+7.5%) | Up 259 places |
| 2020 | #29,943 | 838 | 0.28 | -92 bearers (-9.9%) | Down 3,682 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 Maben 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 | #26,261 | #29,943 | -14.0% |
| Count | 930 | 838 | -9.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.32 | 0.28 | -12.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Maben bearers went from 930 to 838 (-9.9% change). The surname moved down 3,682 positions in the national ranking, going from #26,261 to #29,943.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Maben
FAQ
Maben surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Maben?
Name Census estimates that about 961 living Americans carry the surname Maben. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 356,664 residents.
How common is Maben?
Maben ranks #29,943 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.28 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 838 people with the surname Maben. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (961), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.28 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.28 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Maben.
Has Maben become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Maben went from 930 recorded bearers to 838. That is a decrease of 92 (-9.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #26,261 to #29,943.
What does the Census say about the background of Maben?
Among Census respondents with the surname Maben, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.6%. The next largest groups are Black (27.8%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Maben in the 2020 Census, accounting for 60.6% (508 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Maben appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (60.6%), Black (27.8%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Maben (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 Maben mean?
A variant of the surname Mabin, originating from a Scottish place name. 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 Maben (0.28 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 common is the surname Maben?
See how common the surname Maben is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.