2010
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Macedon
A surname denoting a person from the region of Macedonia, or their descendant.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Macedon. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Macedon 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Macedon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Macedon, the largest self-reported group is Black at 72.5%. The next largest groups are White (18.6%) and Hispanic (5.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Macedon
The surname Macedon originates from the region of Macedonia, located in the northern part of ancient Greece. It is believed to have derived from the Greek word "Makedonia," which means "tall" or "high-born." The name is associated with the powerful Macedonian kingdom ruled by Alexander the Great in the 4th century BC.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Macedon can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners and estates in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears as "Macedon," suggesting that it was already in use by the 11th century.
During the Crusades, a prominent figure named Sir Robert Macedon is recorded as having participated in the Third Crusade (1189-1192) under the leadership of King Richard I of England. Sir Robert Macedon was known for his bravery and military prowess in the battles against the Saracens.
In the 14th century, a notable individual named John Macedon (c. 1320-1380) was a renowned scholar and philosopher who studied at the University of Oxford. His writings on metaphysics and logic were highly influential during the medieval period.
The Macedon name also appears in the historical records of Scotland, where a prominent family held the lands of Macedon in Fife during the 16th and 17th centuries. One notable member was Sir James Macedon (1550-1620), who served as a loyal advisor to King James VI of Scotland.
In the literary world, the surname Macedon is associated with the English poet and playwright William Macedon (1564-1616). Although not as famous as his contemporary William Shakespeare, Macedon's works were highly regarded during the Elizabethan era, and he was patronized by several noblemen of the time.
Another influential figure bearing the surname Macedon was Admiral Sir Edward Macedon (1685-1757), a distinguished naval officer in the Royal Navy. He played a pivotal role in several major naval battles during the War of the Austrian Succession and the Seven Years' War, earning him widespread recognition and honors.
While the surname Macedon is relatively uncommon today, it has a rich historical legacy spanning various regions and eras, with many notable individuals contributing to its prominence over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Macedon
Among Census respondents with the surname Macedon, the largest self-reported group is Black at 72.5%. The next largest groups are White (18.6%) and Hispanic (5.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Macedon 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 Macedon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American72.5% · 74
- White18.6% · 19
- Hispanic or Latino5.9% · 6
- Two or more races2.9% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Macedon
Macedon appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-6 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 3,223 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -6 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 3,223 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 Macedon 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 | #151,532 | #154,755 | -2.1% |
| Count | 108 | 102 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Macedon bearers went from 108 to 102 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 3,223 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #154,755.
FAQ
Macedon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Macedon?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Macedon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Macedon?
Macedon ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 102 people with the surname Macedon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Macedon.
Has Macedon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Macedon went from 108 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #151,532 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Macedon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Macedon, the largest self-reported group is Black at 72.5%. The next largest groups are White (18.6%) and Hispanic (5.9%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Macedon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.5% (74 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Macedon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (72.5%), White (18.6%), Hispanic (5.9%). 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 Macedon (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 Macedon mean?
A surname denoting a person from the region of Macedonia, or their descendant. 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 Macedon (0.03 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 Macedon?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Macedon is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.