2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Maffin
An occupational surname derived from the Old French "maffin" meaning baker or pastry maker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Maffin. 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 Maffin 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 Maffin 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 Maffin, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Maffin
The surname Maffin is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "maffe" or "maffe-dun," which means "a muffin" or "hill." It is believed to have originated as a nickname or occupational surname for someone who either lived on or near a hill or small mound, or possibly for someone who was a baker or seller of muffins.
The earliest recorded reference to the surname Maffin can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, where a person named Richard Maffin is mentioned. Other early variations of the spelling include Mafyn, Maffyn, and Maffyn.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, there are several entries for places with similar names, such as Maffelinga in Hertfordshire and Maffeldene in Gloucestershire, which may have been the original locations associated with the surname.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname was Sir John Maffin, born around 1260 in Gloucestershire. He was a knight and landowner who served in the military campaigns of King Edward I.
Another notable figure was William Maffin, born in 1585 in Oxfordshire. He was a renowned mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of celestial bodies and the calculation of planetary movements.
In the 17th century, there was a notable Maffin family from Dorset, with several members holding positions of prominence. One of them was Richard Maffin (1615-1682), who was a Member of Parliament and served as Sheriff of Dorset.
During the 18th century, the Maffin surname appeared in various historical records across different regions of England, including Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Lincolnshire. One notable individual from this period was Sarah Maffin (1720-1798), who was a respected author and poet from Warwickshire.
In the 19th century, the Maffin family had established roots in various parts of the country, with some members migrating to other parts of the British Empire. One such individual was John Maffin (1825-1901), who was a successful entrepreneur and industrialist in Canada, where he established several businesses and contributed to the economic development of the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Maffin
Among Census respondents with the surname Maffin, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Maffin 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 Maffin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.0% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino5.6% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.7% · 4
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Maffin
Maffin 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
#126,018
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 136
+28 bearers (+25.9%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 15,770 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-28 bearers (-20.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 24,917 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #126,018 | 136 | 0.05 | +28 bearers (+25.9%) | Up 15,770 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -28 bearers (-20.6%) | Down 24,917 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 Maffin 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 | #126,018 | #150,935 | -19.8% |
| Count | 136 | 108 | -20.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -27.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Maffin bearers went from 136 to 108 (-20.6% change). The surname moved down 24,917 positions in the national ranking, going from #126,018 to #150,935.
FAQ
Maffin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Maffin?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Maffin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Maffin?
Maffin 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 Maffin. 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 Maffin.
Has Maffin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Maffin went from 136 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 28 (-20.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #126,018 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Maffin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Maffin, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.7%). 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 Maffin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.0% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Maffin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.0%), Hispanic (5.6%), American Indian/Alaska Native (3.7%). 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 Maffin (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 Maffin mean?
An occupational surname derived from the Old French "maffin" meaning baker or pastry maker. 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 Maffin (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 many people are called Maffin?
See how common the surname Maffin is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.