Find out how popular the last name Maccabee is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Maccabee.

Maccabee, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Maccabee surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Maccabee in America

Maccabee is the 87663rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Maccabee surname appeared 212 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Maccabee.

We can also compare 2010 data for Maccabee to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Maccabee

The surname Maccabee traces its roots to the Jewish Maccabees, a group of rebel warriors who fought against the Seleucid Empire in the 2nd century BCE. The name is derived from the Hebrew words "makavah," meaning "hammer," and "Mattathias," the name of the leader of the Maccabean Revolt.

The Maccabean Revolt, also known as the Hasmonean Revolt, was a Jewish rebellion against the Seleucid Empire, which had imposed severe restrictions on the practice of Judaism. Led by Mattathias and his sons, the Maccabees successfully defeated the Seleucid forces and established an independent Jewish state, known as the Hasmonean Dynasty.

The name Maccabee is first mentioned in the Books of Maccabees, a collection of writings that describe the events of the Maccabean Revolt. These books were written in the late 2nd century BCE and are considered part of the Catholic and Orthodox biblical canon, although not part of the Hebrew Bible.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Maccabee was Judah Maccabee (c. 190-160 BCE), a prominent leader of the Maccabean Revolt and the son of Mattathias. He is celebrated as a hero in Jewish tradition for his military victories and efforts to restore the Temple in Jerusalem.

Another notable figure with the surname Maccabee was Jonathan Maccabee (c. 180-143 BCE), the younger brother of Judah Maccabee, who succeeded his brother as leader of the Maccabean forces and later became the High Priest of Judea.

In the 12th century, a prominent Jewish philosopher and physician named Moses Maimonides (1135-1204) claimed descent from the Maccabees. He was born in Córdoba, Spain, and is renowned for his influential works on Jewish law and philosophy.

During the Renaissance period, the Italian humanist Judah Abravanel (1460-1521) traced his ancestry to the Maccabees and wrote extensively about their history and legacy.

In more recent times, the surname Maccabee has been carried by individuals such as Mordechai Maccabi (1912-1984), a prominent Israeli writer and educator, and Yonatan Maccabi (b. 1969), an Israeli musician and songwriter.

While the surname Maccabee is relatively rare today, it remains a powerful symbol of Jewish resistance, courage, and resilience in the face of oppression, reflecting the enduring legacy of the Maccabean Revolt.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Maccabee

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Maccabee.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Maccabee was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Maccabee has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Maccabee was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Maccabee, please contact us.

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