2000
#2,654
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,508
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.64
Uncommon Last name
Mabry
Derived from the Welsh name Mabon, meaning "son," or from a place name meaning "delightful spot."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,098 Americans carry the last name Mabry. That puts it at #2,859 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 24,312 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mabry 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.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 24,312
Census rank
#2,859
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,294 bearers of the surname Mabry in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2859th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mabry, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.4%. The next largest groups are Black (26.1%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mabry
The surname Mabry originates from England and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French words "mabire" or "mauburry," which referred to a type of blackberry bush. This suggests that the name was likely initially given as a nickname to someone who lived near or worked with blackberry bushes.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1166, which mention a person named Walter Maubyr. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also contain several references to people with the surname Maubyr or Maubery.
During the Middle Ages, the name appeared with various spellings, such as Maubry, Maubury, and Mauberie. These variations likely resulted from the name's oral transmission and the lack of standardized spelling conventions at the time.
In the 16th century, the name began to take on its modern spelling of Mabry. One notable figure from this period was John Mabry, a merchant and landowner from Gloucestershire, who lived from 1512 to 1587.
Another early example is Richard Mabry, a Protestant martyr who was burned at the stake in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, in 1555 during the reign of Queen Mary I.
In the 17th century, the name Mabry appeared in various parts of England, including London, where William Mabry, a prominent businessman, lived from 1624 to 1698.
The 18th century saw the rise of several notable individuals with the surname Mabry, including John Mabry (1710-1782), a renowned clockmaker from Oxfordshire, and William Mabry (1732-1805), a successful merchant and landowner from Gloucestershire.
In the 19th century, the Mabry family established itself in the United States, with several members migrating from England. One notable figure from this period was James Mabry (1819-1889), a farmer and Civil War veteran from Tennessee.
Other historical figures with the surname Mabry include Mary Mabry (1874-1963), an American educator and advocate for women's rights, and Charles Mabry (1885-1972), a renowned architect from Texas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mabry
Among Census respondents with the surname Mabry, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.4%. The next largest groups are Black (26.1%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Mabry 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 Mabry surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White65.4% · 8,039
- Black or African American26.1% · 3,210
- Two or more races4.2% · 520
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 429
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 51
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 45
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mabry
Mabry 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
#2,804
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,846
+338 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 4.35
Rank movement Down 150 places
2020
#2,859
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,294
-552 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 4.11
Rank movement Down 55 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,654 | 12,508 | 4.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,804 | 12,846 | 4.35 | +338 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 150 places |
| 2020 | #2,859 | 12,294 | 4.11 | -552 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 55 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 Mabry 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 | #2,804 | #2,859 | -2.0% |
| Count | 12,846 | 12,294 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 4.35 | 4.11 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mabry bearers went from 12,846 to 12,294 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 55 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,804 to #2,859.
FAQ
Mabry surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mabry?
Name Census estimates that about 14,098 living Americans carry the surname Mabry. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 24,312 residents.
How common is Mabry?
Mabry ranks #2,859 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.11 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,294 people with the surname Mabry. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,098), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.11 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Mabry.
Has Mabry become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mabry went from 12,846 recorded bearers to 12,294. That is a decrease of 552 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,804 to #2,859.
What does the Census say about the background of Mabry?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mabry, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.4%. The next largest groups are Black (26.1%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Mabry in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.4% (8,039 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mabry appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (65.4%), Black (26.1%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Mabry (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 Mabry mean?
Derived from the Welsh name Mabon, meaning "son," or from a place name meaning "delightful spot." 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 Mabry (4.11 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 last name Mabry?
Find out how common the surname Mabry is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.