2000
#664
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 46,739
First available Census row
Per 100,000 17.33
Uncommon Last name
Macias
Derived from the given name Matthew, likely referring to a descendant or follower of someone named Matthew.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 69,480 Americans carry the last name Macias. That puts it at #549 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 20.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 4,933 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Macias 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 Macias with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
69K
1 in 4,933
Census rank
#549
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
20.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
61K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 60,590 bearers of the surname Macias in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 20.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 549th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Macias, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.5%. The next largest groups are White (5.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Macias
The surname Macias is of Spanish origin and can be traced back to the early medieval period in the Iberian Peninsula. It is derived from the Roman name Matthias, a Latinized form of the Hebrew name Mattathiah, meaning "gift of God." The name first appeared in written records during the 8th century, when the Moorish conquest of Spain brought Arabic influences to the region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Macias is found in the Codex Calixtinus, a 12th-century manuscript that chronicles the travels of pilgrims along the Camino de Santiago. The manuscript mentions a certain Macias de León, a nobleman who provided lodging and provisions for pilgrims passing through his lands.
During the 13th century, the surname Macias gained prominence in the Kingdom of Aragon, particularly in the city of Valencia. In 1265, a poet known as Macias el Enamorado (Macias the Enamoured) was born in the town of Vallada. His tragic love story and poetic works became widely renowned throughout Spain and beyond.
In the 14th century, the name Macias appeared in the Libro de la Montería, a hunting treatise commissioned by King Alfonso XI of Castile. The book mentions a certain Juan Macias, a skilled huntsman who accompanied the king on his hunting expeditions.
The 15th century saw the rise of the influential Macias family in the city of Seville. One of the most notable members was Hernán Macias, a wealthy merchant and landowner who financed several voyages of exploration to the New World. His son, Juan Macias de Ribera, accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the Americas in 1493.
During the 16th century, the name Macias spread throughout the Spanish territories in Europe and the Americas. One prominent figure was Pedro Macias de Líñan, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Guatemala and served as the first governor of the province of Verapaz from 1547 to 1549.
In the 17th century, the Macias family established itself in the Spanish colonies of Mexico and Peru. Melchor Macias de la Llana, born in Lima in 1619, was a renowned painter and sculptor who contributed to the Baroque art movement in the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Macias
Among Census respondents with the surname Macias, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.5%. The next largest groups are White (5.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Macias 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 Macias surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino93.5% · 56,655
- White5.2% · 3,137
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 301
- Two or more races0.3% · 193
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 167
- Black or African American0.2% · 137
Timeline
Historical Census data for Macias
Macias 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
#538
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 62,227
+15,488 bearers (+33.1%)
Per 100,000 21.10
Rank movement Up 126 places
2020
#549
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 60,590
-1,637 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 20.27
Rank movement Down 11 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #664 | 46,739 | 17.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #538 | 62,227 | 21.10 | +15,488 bearers (+33.1%) | Up 126 places |
| 2020 | #549 | 60,590 | 20.27 | -1,637 bearers (-2.6%) | Down 11 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 Macias 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 | #538 | #549 | -2.0% |
| Count | 62,227 | 60,590 | -2.6% |
| Per 100K | 21.10 | 20.27 | -3.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Macias bearers went from 62,227 to 60,590 (-2.6% change). The surname moved down 11 positions in the national ranking, going from #538 to #549.
FAQ
Macias surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Macias?
Name Census estimates that about 69,480 living Americans carry the surname Macias. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 4,933 residents.
How common is Macias?
Macias ranks #549 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 20.27 per 100,000 residents, which is about 20 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 60,590 people with the surname Macias. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (69,480), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 20.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 20.27 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 20 of them to have the surname Macias.
Has Macias become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Macias went from 62,227 recorded bearers to 60,590. That is a decrease of 1,637 (-2.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #538 to #549.
What does the Census say about the background of Macias?
Among Census respondents with the surname Macias, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.5%. The next largest groups are White (5.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.5%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Macias in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (56,655 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Macias appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (93.5%), White (5.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.5%). 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 Macias (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 Macias mean?
Derived from the given name Matthew, likely referring to a descendant or follower of someone named Matthew. 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 Macias (20.27 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 surname Macias?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.