Find out how popular the last name Maeda is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Maeda.

Maeda, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Maeda surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Maeda in America

Maeda is the 13855th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Maeda surname appeared 2,181 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Maeda.

We can also compare 2010 data for Maeda to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Maeda

The surname Maeda has its origins in Japan, where it is believed to have first emerged during the Kamakura period (1185-1333 CE). The name is thought to be derived from the Japanese words "mae" meaning "front" or "before" and "da" meaning "rice paddy" or "field." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near or owned a prominent rice paddy or agricultural land.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Maeda surname can be found in the Azuma Kagami, a historical chronicle of the Kamakura shogunate completed in the late 13th century. This text references a samurai warrior named Maeda Toshiie, who was a prominent military commander and later founded the Maeda clan, a powerful samurai family that would go on to rule over the Kaga Domain (present-day Ishikawa and Toyama prefectures) during the Edo period (1603-1868 CE).

The Maeda clan played a significant role in Japanese history, with several notable figures bearing the surname. One of the most famous was Maeda Toshitsune (1594-1658), the third lord of the Kaga Domain, who was known for his leadership and patronage of the arts and culture. Another notable figure was Maeda Nariyasu (1811-1884), a prominent daimyo (feudal lord) who played a pivotal role in the Meiji Restoration, the event that marked the end of the Tokugawa shogunate and the transition to the modern imperial state of Japan.

Beyond Japan, the Maeda surname has also been recorded in various historical documents and records worldwide. For example, in the 16th century, a Portuguese explorer named Maeda Tsugunobu is said to have traveled to the Americas and may have been one of the first Japanese individuals to set foot on the continent.

Other notable individuals with the Maeda surname include Maeda Masana (1909-1987), a renowned Japanese artist and printmaker known for his woodblock prints depicting everyday life in Japan, and Maeda Akira (1939-1994), a Japanese businessman and entrepreneur who co-founded the video game company Sega.

While the Maeda surname has a rich history and has been associated with many notable figures throughout the centuries, it is important to note that these are just a few examples, and the name has likely been borne by countless individuals across various regions and time periods, each with their own unique stories and contributions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Maeda

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Maeda.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Maeda was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Maeda has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Maeda was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Maeda, please contact us.

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