2000
#5,060
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,359
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.36
Rare Last name
Maggard
Derived from a nickname for a tall, thin person, from the Middle English word "megre," meaning "thin" or "lean."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,067 Americans carry the last name Maggard. That puts it at #5,455 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 48,501 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Maggard 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
7.1K
1 in 48,501
Census rank
#5,455
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,163 bearers of the surname Maggard in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5455th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Maggard, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Maggard
The surname Maggard is believed to have originated in England. It is likely derived from the Old English words "mag" and "heard," which together translate to "hardy" or "brave." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone who was considered courageous or strong.
Records indicate that the name Maggard was present in various areas of England during the Middle Ages, particularly in the counties of Worcestershire and Warwickshire. One of the earliest documented instances of the name can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which lists a John Maggard as a landowner in the village of Bretforton, Worcestershire.
During the 14th century, the Maggard surname appeared in several tax records and legal documents across the West Midlands region of England. For instance, a Richard Maggard is mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls for Warwickshire in 1332, while a William Maggard is recorded as a witness in a land transaction in the Worcestershire Feet of Fines from 1378.
In the 16th century, the surname was sometimes spelled with variations such as Maggarde, Magard, or Maggerd. One notable individual from this era was John Maggard (c. 1510-1568), a wealthy merchant and alderman in the city of Worcester.
As the Maggard name spread beyond the West Midlands, it also became associated with various place names. For example, there are records of individuals named Maggard residing in the village of Maggard's Grove, located in the county of Shropshire, during the 17th century.
Other notable individuals with the surname Maggard throughout history include:
1. Edward Maggard (1620-1687), a landowner and farmer in the village of Bretforton, Worcestershire.
2. Mary Maggard (c. 1650-1721), a renowned herbalist and midwife from the town of Evesham, Worcestershire.
3. Thomas Maggard (1711-1783), a successful merchant and ship owner from the city of Bristol, who traded with the American colonies.
4. William Maggard (1790-1868), a prominent industrialist and owner of a textile mill in the town of Kidderminster, Worcestershire.
5. Elizabeth Maggard (1825-1901), an author and poet from the city of Birmingham, who published several collections of verse in the late 19th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Maggard
Among Census respondents with the surname Maggard, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Maggard 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 Maggard surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 5,587
- Two or more races4.1% · 251
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 175
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 62
- Black or African American0.9% · 56
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 32
Timeline
Historical Census data for Maggard
Maggard 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
#5,266
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,625
+266 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 2.25
Rank movement Down 206 places
2020
#5,455
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,163
-462 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 2.06
Rank movement Down 189 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,060 | 6,359 | 2.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,266 | 6,625 | 2.25 | +266 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 206 places |
| 2020 | #5,455 | 6,163 | 2.06 | -462 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 189 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 Maggard 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 | #5,266 | #5,455 | -3.6% |
| Count | 6,625 | 6,163 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.25 | 2.06 | -8.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Maggard bearers went from 6,625 to 6,163 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 189 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,266 to #5,455.
FAQ
Maggard surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Maggard?
Name Census estimates that about 7,067 living Americans carry the surname Maggard. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 48,501 residents.
How common is Maggard?
Maggard ranks #5,455 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.06 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 6,163 people with the surname Maggard. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,067), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.06 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 Maggard.
Has Maggard become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Maggard went from 6,625 recorded bearers to 6,163. That is a decrease of 462 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,266 to #5,455.
What does the Census say about the background of Maggard?
Among Census respondents with the surname Maggard, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Maggard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (5,587 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Maggard appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Two or More Races (4.1%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Maggard (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 Maggard mean?
Derived from a nickname for a tall, thin person, from the Middle English word "megre," meaning "thin" or "lean." 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 Maggard (2.06 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 common is the surname Maggard?
See how common the surname Maggard is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.