2000
#12,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,257
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.84
Rare Last name
Macey
Derived from the French surname Massé, indicating someone from the town of Macé in Normandy, France.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,748 Americans carry the last name Macey. That puts it at #12,379 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 124,729 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Macey 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 Macey with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 124,729
Census rank
#12,379
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,396 bearers of the surname Macey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12379th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Macey, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.1%. The next largest groups are Black (6.4%) and Hispanic (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Macey
The surname Macey is believed to have its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old French name "Macy," which itself is a variant of the Latin name "Matthaeus" or "Matthew."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Macey surname can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners and tenants in England compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. This entry suggests that the name was present in England shortly after the Norman Conquest of 1066.
During the Middle Ages, the Macey surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Wiltshire and Somerset in southwestern England. It is believed that the name may have originated from a place name, possibly a town or village with a similar spelling, though records of such a location are scarce.
In the 14th century, a notable figure bearing the Macey surname was John Macey, a prominent merchant and landowner in the city of Bristol. He is mentioned in several historical records from the time, including legal documents and land transactions.
Another early bearer of the Macey name was William Macey, a scholar and clergyman who lived in the 15th century. He is known for his contributions to the field of theology and for serving as a chaplain to King Henry VI of England.
During the Tudor period, the Macey family gained prominence in the county of Gloucestershire. Sir Thomas Macey, born in 1520, was a respected member of the local gentry and served as a magistrate and justice of the peace.
In the 17th century, a notable figure was Captain John Macey, a seafarer and explorer who is said to have sailed with the English naval commander Sir Walter Raleigh on his voyages to the Americas.
Another historical figure with the Macey surname was Richard Macey, a prominent lawyer and judge who lived in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. He served as a justice of the Court of King's Bench and played a significant role in shaping English common law.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Macey
Among Census respondents with the surname Macey, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.1%. The next largest groups are Black (6.4%) and Hispanic (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Macey 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 Macey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.1% · 2,015
- Black or African American6.4% · 154
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 114
- Two or more races3.8% · 90
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Macey
Macey 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
#12,504
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,479
+222 bearers (+9.8%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Up 86 places
2020
#12,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,396
-83 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Up 125 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,590 | 2,257 | 0.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,504 | 2,479 | 0.84 | +222 bearers (+9.8%) | Up 86 places |
| 2020 | #12,379 | 2,396 | 0.80 | -83 bearers (-3.3%) | Up 125 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 Macey 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 | #12,504 | #12,379 | 1.0% |
| Count | 2,479 | 2,396 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.84 | 0.80 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Macey bearers went from 2,479 to 2,396 (-3.3% change). The surname moved up 125 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,504 to #12,379.
FAQ
Macey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Macey?
Name Census estimates that about 2,748 living Americans carry the surname Macey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 124,729 residents.
How common is Macey?
Macey ranks #12,379 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.80 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,396 people with the surname Macey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,748), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.80 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Macey.
Has Macey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Macey went from 2,479 recorded bearers to 2,396. That is a decrease of 83 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,504 to #12,379.
What does the Census say about the background of Macey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Macey, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.1%. The next largest groups are Black (6.4%) and Hispanic (4.8%). 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 Macey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.1% (2,015 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Macey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.1%), Black (6.4%), Hispanic (4.8%). 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 Macey (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 Macey mean?
Derived from the French surname Massé, indicating someone from the town of Macé in Normandy, France. 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 Macey (0.80 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 Macey?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Macey is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.