2000
#118,236
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 136
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Maffit
A locative surname derived from a place name in England, possibly related to "mayfield".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Maffit. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Maffit 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Maffit in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Maffit, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Maffit
The surname Maffit is believed to have originated in Northern France and England during the Middle Ages. It is thought to be derived from the Old French word "malfe" or "maffe," which means "a stupid person" or "a clumsy person." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a nickname to someone who was perceived as clumsy or foolish.
Some historical records indicate that the name may have been present in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive land survey commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This suggests that individuals bearing this surname were present in England during the Norman Conquest.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Maffit dates back to the 13th century. In 1273, a Richard Maffit was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire, England. Another early reference can be found in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield, Yorkshire, where a John Maffyt was recorded in 1317.
During the 14th century, the surname Maffit appeared in various regions of England, with slight variations in spelling. For example, in 1379, a Thomas Maffett was recorded in the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire. In the same century, the name was also found in the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire, where a William Maffyt was listed in 1327.
One notable individual bearing this surname was Sir John Maffit (1580-1645), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Newtown, Isle of Wight, during the reign of Charles I. Another prominent figure was Thomas Maffit (1620-1697), an English Puritan minister and author known for his religious writings.
In the 18th century, William Maffit (1739-1820) was a Scottish merchant and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the city of Glasgow. He established the Maffit Baths, a public bathing facility, and supported various charitable causes.
Another noteworthy person with this surname was John Newland Maffit (1794-1850), an American Methodist minister and renowned orator. His powerful preaching and oratory skills earned him recognition throughout the United States.
The surname Maffit also has connections to place names. For instance, the village of Maffitt in Lincolnshire, England, is believed to be named after an early bearer of this surname who may have been a landowner or prominent figure in the area.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Maffit
Among Census respondents with the surname Maffit, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Maffit 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 Maffit surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 106
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Maffit
Maffit 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-20 bearers (-14.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 24,913 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-2 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,346 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #118,236 | 136 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | -20 bearers (-14.7%) | Down 24,913 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 3,346 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 Maffit 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 | #143,149 | #146,495 | -2.3% |
| Count | 116 | 114 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Maffit bearers went from 116 to 114 (-1.7% change). The surname moved down 3,346 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #146,495.
FAQ
Maffit surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Maffit?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Maffit. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Maffit?
Maffit ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Maffit. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Maffit.
Has Maffit become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Maffit went from 116 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Maffit?
Among Census respondents with the surname Maffit, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Maffit in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Maffit appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Two or More Races (2.6%), Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Maffit (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 Maffit mean?
A locative surname derived from a place name in England, possibly related to "mayfield". 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 Maffit (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 Maffit?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Maffit at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.