2000
#906
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 34,970
First available Census row
Per 100,000 12.96
Uncommon Last name
Maddox
A Welsh patronymic surname meaning "son of Madoc," derived from the Welsh personal name meaning "fortunate" or "good."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 39,776 Americans carry the last name Maddox. That puts it at #991 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 11.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 8,617 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Maddox 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 Maddox with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
40K
1 in 8,617
Census rank
#991
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
11.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
35K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 34,687 bearers of the surname Maddox in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 11.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 991st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Maddox, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.0%. The next largest groups are Black (24.4%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Maddox
The surname Maddox has its origins in England, where it emerged during the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old English personal name Maddoc, itself a Brythonic name meaning "fortunate" or "having good omen." The earliest recorded instances of the surname date back to the 13th century, with variations in spelling such as Madoc, Madoke, and Madox.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Madoc ap Meredith, a Welsh prince who purportedly led an expedition to the Americas in the late 12th century, several centuries before Christopher Columbus. While the veracity of this claim is debated, it remains a notable part of the name's history.
In the Domesday Book, a survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, there are several entries for individuals with the name Madoc, suggesting the name's presence in the region at that time.
During the Middle Ages, the surname Maddox was particularly prevalent in the counties of Shropshire and Herefordshire, where it is believed to have originated. These areas were once part of the Welsh Marches, a region with strong Welsh influence, which may explain the name's Brythonic roots.
One notable bearer of the name was Sir John Maddox (1570-1650), a prominent English soldier and politician who served as Governor of the Isle of Man and as a Member of Parliament during the reign of Charles I.
Another historically significant individual was William Maddox (1604-1653), an English Puritan clergyman and author who played a role in the religious conflicts of the English Civil War.
In the literary world, John Maddox (1759-1833) was a Welsh historian and writer who authored several works on the history of Wales and its people.
During the 19th century, Isaac Maddox (1813-1887) was a notable American minister and educator who served as the president of several colleges in the southern United States.
More recently, John Maddox (1925-2009) was a renowned British science writer and editor who served as the editor of the prestigious scientific journal Nature from 1966 to 1973.
These examples demonstrate the widespread presence of the surname Maddox throughout history, spanning various fields and regions, all tracing their origins back to the medieval Welsh Marches of England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Maddox
Among Census respondents with the surname Maddox, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.0%. The next largest groups are Black (24.4%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Maddox 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 Maddox surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.0% · 23,249
- Black or African American24.4% · 8,458
- Two or more races4.4% · 1,537
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 1,063
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 191
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 189
Timeline
Historical Census data for Maddox
Maddox 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
#959
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 36,250
+1,280 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 12.29
Rank movement Down 53 places
2020
#991
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 34,687
-1,563 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 11.60
Rank movement Down 32 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #906 | 34,970 | 12.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #959 | 36,250 | 12.29 | +1,280 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 53 places |
| 2020 | #991 | 34,687 | 11.60 | -1,563 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 32 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 Maddox 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 | #959 | #991 | -3.3% |
| Count | 36,250 | 34,687 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 12.29 | 11.60 | -5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Maddox bearers went from 36,250 to 34,687 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 32 positions in the national ranking, going from #959 to #991.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Maddox
FAQ
Maddox surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Maddox?
Name Census estimates that about 39,776 living Americans carry the surname Maddox. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 8,617 residents.
How common is Maddox?
Maddox ranks #991 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 11.60 per 100,000 residents, which is about 12 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 34,687 people with the surname Maddox. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (39,776), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 11.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 11.60 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 12 of them to have the surname Maddox.
Has Maddox become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Maddox went from 36,250 recorded bearers to 34,687. That is a decrease of 1,563 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #959 to #991.
What does the Census say about the background of Maddox?
Among Census respondents with the surname Maddox, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.0%. The next largest groups are Black (24.4%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Maddox in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.0% (23,249 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Maddox appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (67.0%), Black (24.4%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Maddox (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 Maddox mean?
A Welsh patronymic surname meaning "son of Madoc," derived from the Welsh personal name meaning "fortunate" or "good." 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 Maddox (11.60 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 Maddox?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Maddox at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.