2000
#6,901
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,485
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.66
Rare Last name
Maddux
Welsh surname derived from the given name Madoc, meaning "fortunate" or "good luck."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,009 Americans carry the last name Maddux. That puts it at #7,361 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.46 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 68,428 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Maddux 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
5.0K
1 in 68,428
Census rank
#7,361
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,368 bearers of the surname Maddux in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.46 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7361st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Maddux, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Maddux
The surname Maddux has its origins in England and dates back to the 12th century. It is believed to be a locational name, derived from the Old English words "ma?a" meaning "meadow" and "occ" meaning "ridge" or "hill". This suggests that the name originated from a place name referring to a ridge or hill near a meadow.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Maddux can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the year 1166, where it appears as "Madoc". This spelling variation likely evolved from the Old English pronunciation of the name.
In the 13th century, the name Maddux appeared in various records from Shropshire, England. One notable example is the mention of a Sir John Maddux in the Shropshire Assize Rolls of 1221. This indicates that the name was associated with individuals of noble or landowning status during this period.
The Maddux name also has connections to several place names in England, such as Maddock Hill in Shrewsbury and Maddock Road in Shropshire. These place names may have been derived from the surname or vice versa, further solidifying the link between the name and the geographic locations.
During the 16th century, the Maddux surname gained prominence with the birth of Sir Ralph Maddux (1512-1587), a wealthy landowner and Member of Parliament for Shropshire. Another notable figure was John Maddux (1544-1615), a Protestant minister and theologian who played a significant role in the English Reformation.
In the 17th century, the name Maddux appeared in various parish records across England, indicating its widespread usage. One notable bearer of the name was Captain Thomas Maddux (1630-1692), a naval officer who served in the Anglo-Dutch Wars and became a renowned privateer.
As the centuries progressed, the Maddux name continued to be documented in various historical records, including the births, marriages, and deaths of individuals across different regions of England. The name also spread to other parts of the world through migration and colonization.
Several notable individuals with the surname Maddux have left their mark in various fields throughout history, including Sir William Maddux (1755-1832), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars, and John Maddux (1844-1922), an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Georgia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Maddux
Among Census respondents with the surname Maddux, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Maddux 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 Maddux surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.8% · 3,791
- Two or more races4.8% · 208
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 188
- Black or African American2.4% · 106
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 47
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 28
Timeline
Historical Census data for Maddux
Maddux 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
#7,490
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,448
-37 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 1.51
Rank movement Down 589 places
2020
#7,361
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,368
-80 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 1.46
Rank movement Up 129 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,901 | 4,485 | 1.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,490 | 4,448 | 1.51 | -37 bearers (-0.8%) | Down 589 places |
| 2020 | #7,361 | 4,368 | 1.46 | -80 bearers (-1.8%) | Up 129 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 Maddux 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 | #7,490 | #7,361 | 1.7% |
| Count | 4,448 | 4,368 | -1.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.51 | 1.46 | -3.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Maddux bearers went from 4,448 to 4,368 (-1.8% change). The surname moved up 129 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,490 to #7,361.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Maddux
FAQ
Maddux surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Maddux?
Name Census estimates that about 5,009 living Americans carry the surname Maddux. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 68,428 residents.
How common is Maddux?
Maddux ranks #7,361 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.46 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 4,368 people with the surname Maddux. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,009), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.46 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.46 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 Maddux.
Has Maddux become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Maddux went from 4,448 recorded bearers to 4,368. That is a decrease of 80 (-1.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,490 to #7,361.
What does the Census say about the background of Maddux?
Among Census respondents with the surname Maddux, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (4.3%). 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 Maddux in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.8% (3,791 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Maddux appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.8%), Two or More Races (4.8%), Hispanic (4.3%). 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 Maddux (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 Maddux mean?
Welsh surname derived from the given name Madoc, meaning "fortunate" or "good luck." 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 Maddux (1.46 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 Maddux?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Maddux on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.