2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Maenpaa
Finnish surname meaning "meadow hill" or "grassy hill".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Maenpaa. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Maenpaa 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Maenpaa in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Maenpaa, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.6%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Maenpaa
The surname Maenpaa is of Finnish origin, with its roots tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Finnish words "maa" meaning land or earth, and "pää" meaning head or top, suggesting a connection to a geographical feature such as a hilltop or elevated land.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Maenpaa can be found in historical records from the 16th century, notably in parish registers and tax records from various regions of Finland. It is believed that the name initially emerged as a descriptive term for individuals residing on or near a prominent hilltop or elevated land formation.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Maenpaa surname began to appear more frequently in Finnish historical documents, including church records, cadastral surveys, and judicial proceedings. One notable mention is the birth record of Matti Maenpaa in 1692, from the parish of Kuopio in eastern Finland.
The Maenpaa name has also been associated with several notable figures throughout Finnish history. One such individual was Juho Maenpaa (1793-1874), a prominent farmer and landowner from the region of Ostrobothnia. Another was Liisa Maenpaa (1867-1941), a renowned folk artist and weaver whose intricate textile works are preserved in several Finnish museums.
In the 19th century, the Maenpaa surname gained further recognition with the birth of Eero Maenpaa (1851-1924), a celebrated Finnish writer and journalist who published several novels and short stories depicting life in rural Finland. His works are considered important contributions to the country's literary heritage.
Another notable bearer of the Maenpaa name was Toivo Maenpaa (1901-1987), a Finnish businessman and industrialist who played a significant role in the development of the country's manufacturing sector during the mid-20th century.
While the Maenpaa surname has its roots in Finland, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through Finnish emigration in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. However, the earliest and most significant historical records and notable individuals associated with this surname can be traced back to its Finnish origins and the geographic descriptors that gave rise to its formation.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Maenpaa
Among Census respondents with the surname Maenpaa, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.6%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Maenpaa 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 Maenpaa surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.1% · 93
- Hispanic or Latino5.6% · 6
- Two or more races2.8% · 3
- Black or African American1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Maenpaa
Maenpaa 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,418 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-5 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,734 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 9,418 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 4,734 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 Maenpaa 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 | #146,201 | #150,935 | -3.2% |
| Count | 113 | 108 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Maenpaa bearers went from 113 to 108 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 4,734 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #150,935.
FAQ
Maenpaa surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Maenpaa?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Maenpaa. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Maenpaa?
Maenpaa ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Maenpaa. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Maenpaa.
Has Maenpaa become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Maenpaa went from 113 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Maenpaa?
Among Census respondents with the surname Maenpaa, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.6%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Maenpaa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.1% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Maenpaa appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.1%), Hispanic (5.6%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Maenpaa (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 Maenpaa mean?
Finnish surname meaning "meadow hill" or "grassy hill". 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 Maenpaa (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 common is the surname Maenpaa?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Maenpaa on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.