2000
#5,644
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,640
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.09
Rare Last name
Maes
A Dutch and Flemish topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a field or meadow.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,792 Americans carry the last name Maes. That puts it at #5,644 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.98 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 50,464 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Maes 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
6.8K
1 in 50,464
Census rank
#5,644
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,923 bearers of the surname Maes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.98 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5644th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Maes, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 57.3%. The next largest groups are White (38.9%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Maes
The surname "MAES" has its origins in the Netherlands and Belgium, where it first emerged in the 12th century. The name is derived from the Dutch word "maes," which means "meadow" or "open field." It is believed that the name was originally given to someone who lived near a meadow or worked on a meadow.
The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 13th century, when it was spelled "Maeys" or "Maas." In the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as "Mays," "Mays," and "Mays." These variations were likely due to regional differences in pronunciation and spelling conventions.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Jan Maes, a painter from Antwerp, Belgium, who lived from 1634 to 1693. He was a prominent figure in the Flemish Baroque tradition and is best known for his large-scale religious works and portraits.
Another notable figure with the surname "MAES" was Andreas Masius (1516-1573), a Dutch Catholic theologian and biblical scholar. He was born in Lennik, Brabant, and is known for his Latin translations of the Bible and his commentaries on various books of the Old Testament.
In the 17th century, the name "MAES" was associated with several Dutch explorers and colonists. One such figure was Jacob Maes, who was born in Amsterdam in 1632 and later settled in the Dutch colony of Suriname, where he served as a government official.
The name "MAES" also has a connection to the world of literature. Camille Lemonnier (1844-1913), a Belgian novelist and poet, was born with the surname "MAES" but later changed it to "Lemonnier." He is considered one of the pioneers of the Belgian literary renaissance and is best known for his naturalistic novels and short stories.
In the 19th century, the surname "MAES" appeared in various historical records and documents across Belgium and the Netherlands. For instance, the "Maes" family was mentioned in the archives of the city of Antwerp, where they were involved in various trades and professions.
Throughout history, the surname "MAES" has been borne by individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions, from artists and scholars to explorers and colonists. While the name's origins can be traced back to the Netherlands and Belgium, it has since spread to other parts of the world, reflecting the mobility and migration patterns of its bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Maes
Among Census respondents with the surname Maes, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 57.3%. The next largest groups are White (38.9%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Maes 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 Maes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino57.3% · 3,395
- White38.9% · 2,305
- Two or more races1.6% · 95
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 49
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 49
- Black or African American0.5% · 30
Timeline
Historical Census data for Maes
Maes 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
#5,746
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,033
+393 bearers (+7.0%)
Per 100,000 2.05
Rank movement Down 102 places
2020
#5,644
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,923
-110 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 1.98
Rank movement Up 102 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,644 | 5,640 | 2.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,746 | 6,033 | 2.05 | +393 bearers (+7.0%) | Down 102 places |
| 2020 | #5,644 | 5,923 | 1.98 | -110 bearers (-1.8%) | Up 102 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 Maes 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 | #5,746 | #5,644 | 1.8% |
| Count | 6,033 | 5,923 | -1.8% |
| Per 100K | 2.05 | 1.98 | -3.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Maes bearers went from 6,033 to 5,923 (-1.8% change). The surname moved up 102 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,746 to #5,644.
FAQ
Maes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Maes?
Name Census estimates that about 6,792 living Americans carry the surname Maes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 50,464 residents.
How common is Maes?
Maes ranks #5,644 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.98 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,923 people with the surname Maes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,792), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.98 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.98 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Maes.
Has Maes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Maes went from 6,033 recorded bearers to 5,923. That is a decrease of 110 (-1.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,746 to #5,644.
What does the Census say about the background of Maes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Maes, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 57.3%. The next largest groups are White (38.9%) and Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Maes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.3% (3,395 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Maes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (57.3%), White (38.9%), Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Maes (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 Maes mean?
A Dutch and Flemish topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a field or meadow. 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 Maes (1.98 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 Maes?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.