2000
#4,198
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,830
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.90
Rare Last name
Maestas
A Spanish occupational surname referring to a teacher, master, or person of authority.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,407 Americans carry the last name Maestas. That puts it at #4,185 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 36,436 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Maestas 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
9.4K
1 in 36,436
Census rank
#4,185
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,203 bearers of the surname Maestas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4185th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Maestas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 81.2%. The next largest groups are White (15.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Maestas
The surname Maestas has its origins in Spain, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is a patronymic surname derived from the Spanish word "maestro," meaning "master" or "teacher." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who held a position of authority or was a respected teacher or scholar.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Maestas can be found in the Libro de la Montería, a hunting treatise written in the 14th century during the reign of King Alfonso XI of Castile. This document mentions a certain "Juan Maestas" who was likely a nobleman or landowner involved in hunting activities at the time.
The name Maestas is believed to have originated in the regions of Castile and Aragon in Spain, where it was commonly found in medieval records and documents. Over time, the name spread to other parts of the Iberian Peninsula, and eventually made its way to the Americas during the Spanish colonization of the New World.
One notable figure bearing the Maestas surname was Fray Alonso de Benavides, a Franciscan friar who lived from 1578 to 1636. He served as a missionary in New Mexico and wrote extensively about the indigenous Puebloan peoples of the region. His accounts are considered valuable historical sources for understanding the early Spanish presence in the American Southwest.
Another prominent individual with the Maestas name was Juan de Oñate y Salazar (1550-1626), a Spanish explorer and colonial governor who led the first European settlement in present-day New Mexico. He is remembered for his controversial actions against the Acoma Pueblo, which led to the brutal massacre of many Native Americans.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Maestas surname was also found in various parts of New Spain (now Mexico), as Spanish settlers and colonists established themselves in the region. One example is Cristóbal de Maestas, a soldier and farmer who lived in the 17th century and was granted land in the Valle de Allende area of what is now Chihuahua, Mexico.
In the 18th century, Juan Antonio Maestas y Salazar (1703-1778) was a notable military figure who served as the governor of Spanish Louisiana from 1770 to 1776. He played a crucial role in defending the territory against British and Native American threats during his tenure.
Throughout its history, the Maestas surname has been associated with individuals from various backgrounds, including nobility, clergy, explorers, and military leaders. While its precise origins may be difficult to pinpoint, the name's connection to the Spanish word "maestro" suggests a legacy of respect and authority.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Maestas
Among Census respondents with the surname Maestas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 81.2%. The next largest groups are White (15.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Maestas 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 Maestas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino81.2% · 6,658
- White15.3% · 1,259
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.6% · 135
- Two or more races1.0% · 84
- Black or African American0.4% · 35
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 32
Timeline
Historical Census data for Maestas
Maestas 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
#4,287
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,296
+466 bearers (+6.0%)
Per 100,000 2.81
Rank movement Down 89 places
2020
#4,185
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,203
-93 bearers (-1.1%)
Per 100,000 2.74
Rank movement Up 102 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,198 | 7,830 | 2.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,287 | 8,296 | 2.81 | +466 bearers (+6.0%) | Down 89 places |
| 2020 | #4,185 | 8,203 | 2.74 | -93 bearers (-1.1%) | 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 Maestas 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 | #4,287 | #4,185 | 2.4% |
| Count | 8,296 | 8,203 | -1.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.81 | 2.74 | -2.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Maestas bearers went from 8,296 to 8,203 (-1.1% change). The surname moved up 102 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,287 to #4,185.
FAQ
Maestas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Maestas?
Name Census estimates that about 9,407 living Americans carry the surname Maestas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 36,436 residents.
How common is Maestas?
Maestas ranks #4,185 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.74 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,203 people with the surname Maestas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,407), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.74 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Maestas.
Has Maestas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Maestas went from 8,296 recorded bearers to 8,203. That is a decrease of 93 (-1.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,287 to #4,185.
What does the Census say about the background of Maestas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Maestas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 81.2%. The next largest groups are White (15.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (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 Maestas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.2% (6,658 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Maestas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (81.2%), White (15.3%), American Indian/Alaska Native (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 Maestas (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 Maestas mean?
A Spanish occupational surname referring to a teacher, master, or person of authority. 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 Maestas (2.74 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 Maestas?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.