2000
#12,647
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,245
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.83
Rare Last name
Maeda
A Japanese surname meaning "front rice paddy," referring to the location of the bearer's dwelling or occupation.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,463 Americans carry the last name Maeda. That puts it at #13,530 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 139,161 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Maeda 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
2.5K
1 in 139,161
Census rank
#13,530
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,148 bearers of the surname Maeda in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13530th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Maeda, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 63.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (20.8%) and Two or More Races (8.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Maeda
Among Census respondents with the surname Maeda, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 63.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (20.8%) and Two or More Races (8.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Maeda 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 Maeda surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander63.9% · 1,372
- Hispanic or Latino20.8% · 447
- Two or more races8.3% · 178
- White6.7% · 143
- Black or African American0.3% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Maeda
Maeda 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
#13,855
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,181
-64 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Down 1,208 places
2020
#13,530
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,148
-33 bearers (-1.5%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Up 325 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,647 | 2,245 | 0.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,855 | 2,181 | 0.74 | -64 bearers (-2.9%) | Down 1,208 places |
| 2020 | #13,530 | 2,148 | 0.72 | -33 bearers (-1.5%) | Up 325 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 Maeda 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 | #13,855 | #13,530 | 2.3% |
| Count | 2,181 | 2,148 | -1.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.74 | 0.72 | -2.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Maeda bearers went from 2,181 to 2,148 (-1.5% change). The surname moved up 325 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,855 to #13,530.
FAQ
Maeda surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Maeda?
Name Census estimates that about 2,463 living Americans carry the surname Maeda. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 139,161 residents.
How common is Maeda?
Maeda ranks #13,530 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.72 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 2,148 people with the surname Maeda. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,463), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.72 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 Maeda.
Has Maeda become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Maeda went from 2,181 recorded bearers to 2,148. That is a decrease of 33 (-1.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,855 to #13,530.
What does the Census say about the background of Maeda?
Among Census respondents with the surname Maeda, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 63.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (20.8%) and Two or More Races (8.3%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Maeda in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.9% (1,372 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Maeda appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (63.9%), Hispanic (20.8%), Two or More Races (8.3%). 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 Maeda (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 Maeda mean?
A Japanese surname meaning "front rice paddy," referring to the location of the bearer's dwelling or occupation. 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 Maeda (0.72 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 Americans have the surname Maeda?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.