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

Maez, 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 Maez surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Maez in America

Maez is the 17182nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Maez surname appeared 1,648 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 Maez.

We can also compare 2010 data for Maez 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 Maez

The surname "MAEZ" is believed to have originated in Spain, specifically in the Basque region, during the medieval period. It is derived from the Basque word "matz," which means "thick" or "dense," often referring to vegetation or foliage. This suggests that the name may have initially been used to describe someone who lived in or near a densely forested area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname "MAEZ" can be found in the Cartulario de San Millán de la Cogolla, a collection of medieval documents from the Monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla in La Rioja, Spain, dating back to the 10th century. However, the spelling variations in these early records, such as "Maez" and "Mahez," make it difficult to determine the exact origin and meaning of the name with certainty.

During the 14th century, the surname "MAEZ" appeared in various legal documents and municipal records in the Basque provinces of Álava and Vizcaya. In particular, a notable figure named Juan Maez was recorded as a wealthy landowner and influential citizen in the town of Vitoria in the late 1300s.

In the 16th century, the name "MAEZ" gained prominence with the exploits of Andrés Maez, a Spanish conquistador and explorer who participated in the conquest of the Inca Empire alongside Francisco Pizarro. Maez was born in 1490 in the town of Briviesca, Burgos, and is credited with establishing several settlements in present-day Peru and Bolivia.

Another notable bearer of the surname was Pedro Maez de la Torre, a 17th-century Spanish military engineer and architect who designed several fortifications and defensive structures in the Caribbean and South America. He was born in 1618 in Seville and played a crucial role in the defense of Spanish colonial possessions against foreign invaders.

In the 18th century, the name "MAEZ" was associated with the Basque writer and scholar Juan Antonio Moguel Maez, who was born in 1745 in Eibar, Gipuzkoa. Moguel Maez made significant contributions to the preservation and promotion of the Basque language and culture, publishing works such as "El Doctor Peru Abarca" and "Confesio Ona," which became influential in the Basque literary tradition.

While the surname "MAEZ" has its roots in the Basque region of Spain, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly to the Americas, due to Spanish colonization and migration. However, its earliest recorded occurrences and historical significance remain closely tied to the Basque Country and the Iberian Peninsula.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Maez

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

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 Maez 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 Maez 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 Maez was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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