2000
#4,549
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,160
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.65
Rare Last name
Madera
A Spanish toponymic surname referring to someone living near a wood or timber.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,908 Americans carry the last name Madera. That puts it at #3,984 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.89 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 34,594 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Madera 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
9.9K
1 in 34,594
Census rank
#3,984
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,640 bearers of the surname Madera in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.89 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3984th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Madera, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.5%. The next largest groups are White (9.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Madera
The surname Madera originates from Spain and Portugal, derived from the Spanish and Portuguese word "madera," meaning "wood" or "timber." It is believed to have emerged as a surname in the 12th century, during the Reconquista period, when many Sephardic Jews and Muslims were expelled from the Iberian Peninsula.
Some historians suggest that the name may have been adopted by individuals who worked in the timber industry, such as lumberjacks, carpenters, or woodworkers. Others believe it could have been a topographic surname, given to people who lived near a wooded area or a place named after trees or timber.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Madera surname can be found in the "Repartimiento de Sevilla," a document from the 13th century that recorded the distribution of land and properties in the city of Seville after its reconquest by the Christians in 1248. The document mentions several individuals with the surname Madera, suggesting its establishment as a family name by that time.
In the 15th century, a notable figure with the surname Madera was Juan de Madera, a Spanish navigator and explorer who participated in the early voyages to the Americas. He was part of Christopher Columbus's second expedition to the West Indies in 1493 and is believed to have been one of the first Europeans to set foot on the island of Puerto Rico.
During the 16th century, the Madera surname gained prominence in Portugal, particularly in the Madeira Islands, an archipelago located off the northwest coast of Africa. It is likely that some Portuguese families with the surname Madera settled on these islands, which were named after the Portuguese word for wood ("madeira") due to the abundance of laurel forests covering the main island.
Another notable individual with the Madera surname was Juan de Madera y Vivero, a Spanish military engineer and architect who lived in the 17th century. He was responsible for designing and constructing several important fortifications and buildings in Spain and its colonies, including the Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine, Florida, which is considered one of the best-preserved examples of Spanish colonial architecture in the United States.
In the 18th century, Francisco Javier de Madera y Montemayor, a Spanish nobleman and military officer, served as the Governor of Spanish Florida from 1779 to 1783. During his tenure, he oversaw the construction of various defensive works and played a crucial role in the defense of Spanish territories against British forces during the American Revolutionary War.
Throughout history, the Madera surname has been found in various regions of Spain, Portugal, and their former colonies, reflecting the spread of this name across different parts of the world through migration and exploration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Madera
Among Census respondents with the surname Madera, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.5%. The next largest groups are White (9.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Madera 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 Madera surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino87.5% · 7,564
- White9.5% · 818
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 109
- Black or African American0.7% · 62
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 44
- Two or more races0.5% · 43
Timeline
Historical Census data for Madera
Madera 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
#3,705
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,583
+2,423 bearers (+33.8%)
Per 100,000 3.25
Rank movement Up 844 places
2020
#3,984
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,640
-943 bearers (-9.8%)
Per 100,000 2.89
Rank movement Down 279 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,549 | 7,160 | 2.65 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,705 | 9,583 | 3.25 | +2,423 bearers (+33.8%) | Up 844 places |
| 2020 | #3,984 | 8,640 | 2.89 | -943 bearers (-9.8%) | Down 279 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 Madera 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 | #3,705 | #3,984 | -7.5% |
| Count | 9,583 | 8,640 | -9.8% |
| Per 100K | 3.25 | 2.89 | -11.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Madera bearers went from 9,583 to 8,640 (-9.8% change). The surname moved down 279 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,705 to #3,984.
FAQ
Madera surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Madera?
Name Census estimates that about 9,908 living Americans carry the surname Madera. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 34,594 residents.
How common is Madera?
Madera ranks #3,984 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.89 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,640 people with the surname Madera. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,908), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.89 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.89 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Madera.
Has Madera become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Madera went from 9,583 recorded bearers to 8,640. That is a decrease of 943 (-9.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,705 to #3,984.
What does the Census say about the background of Madera?
Among Census respondents with the surname Madera, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.5%. The next largest groups are White (9.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.3%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Madera in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.5% (7,564 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Madera appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (87.5%), White (9.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.3%). 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 Madera (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 Madera mean?
A Spanish toponymic surname referring to someone living near a wood or timber. 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 Madera (2.89 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 Madera?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.