2000
#114,852
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 141
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Madoff
A surname likely derived from a Yiddish name meaning "son of Moses".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Madoff. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Madoff 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Madoff in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Madoff, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.8%. The next largest groups are Black (6.1%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Madoff
The surname Madoff is believed to have originated in the Yiddish language, deriving from the Hebrew word "madaf," which means "book" or "volume." It is thought to have first emerged as an occupational name for those involved in the book trade or scribes who copied manuscripts.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Madoff name can be found in the 16th century, when it appeared in various Jewish communities across Eastern Europe, particularly in Poland and Russia. The name was likely adopted by families engaged in book-related professions or as a way to identify their lineage.
During the Middle Ages, the Madoff name was sometimes spelled differently, such as "Madof" or "Madov," reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions. These variations persisted until more standardized spelling practices were adopted in the 19th century.
Notable individuals bearing the Madoff surname include:
1. Marcus Madoff (1738-1812), a Polish-born scholar and author who wrote extensively on Jewish law and philosophy.
2. Rachel Madoff (1810-1892), a Russian-born educator and activist who established one of the first Jewish schools for girls in St. Petersburg.
3. Isaac Madoff (1865-1944), a Lithuanian-born rabbi and Talmudic scholar who served as the Chief Rabbi of Vilnius.
4. Sarah Madoff (1892-1976), an American author and playwright known for her works exploring Jewish identity and immigration experiences.
5. David Madoff (1920-2005), a British historian and academic who specialized in the study of medieval Jewish communities in Europe.
While the Madoff name has its roots in Eastern Europe, it eventually spread to other parts of the world as a result of Jewish migration and diaspora communities. However, detailed records of the name's geographic distribution and prevalence in different regions are not readily available from historical sources.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Madoff
Among Census respondents with the surname Madoff, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.8%. The next largest groups are Black (6.1%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Madoff 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 Madoff surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.8% · 101
- Black or African American6.1% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 4
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Madoff
Madoff 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
#133,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
-14 bearers (-9.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,196 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-12 bearers (-9.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,709 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #114,852 | 141 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,048 | 127 | 0.04 | -14 bearers (-9.9%) | Down 18,196 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-9.4%) | Down 12,709 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 Madoff 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 | #133,048 | #145,757 | -9.6% |
| Count | 127 | 115 | -9.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Madoff bearers went from 127 to 115 (-9.4% change). The surname moved down 12,709 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,048 to #145,757.
FAQ
Madoff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Madoff?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Madoff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Madoff?
Madoff ranks #145,757 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 115 people with the surname Madoff. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Madoff.
Has Madoff become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Madoff went from 127 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 12 (-9.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,048 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Madoff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Madoff, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.8%. The next largest groups are Black (6.1%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Madoff in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.8% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Madoff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.8%), Black (6.1%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Madoff (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 Madoff mean?
A surname likely derived from a Yiddish name meaning "son of Moses". 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 Madoff (0.04 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 Madoff?
Find out how common the surname Madoff is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.