2000
#124,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Maggett
A surname derived from "maggot," likely referring to an occupation involving livestock or farming.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Maggett. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Maggett 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Maggett in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Maggett, the largest self-reported group is Black at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Maggett
The surname Maggett is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "maggot," which referred to a small worm or larva. This suggests that the name may have been a nickname or descriptive name for someone associated with worms or perhaps a person who worked with livestock or agriculture.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Maggett can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from the year 1195, where a person named Willelmus Maggot was mentioned. This provides evidence that the name was in use as early as the 12th century in the county of Lincolnshire.
In the 13th century, the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1273 mention a person named Robert Magget, indicating the presence of the name in that region during that time period. The spelling variation "Magget" was likely due to regional dialects and differences in pronunciation.
The Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327 include a record of a person named John Maggot, suggesting that the name had spread to other parts of England by the 14th century. This document also provides an example of the name being spelled without the final "e".
One notable historical figure with the surname Maggett was John Maggett, a merchant and politician who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He served as a Member of Parliament for the borough of Southwark in 1597 and 1601.
Another individual worth mentioning is Edward Maggett, an English clergyman who lived in the 17th century. He was appointed as the Rector of Portslade in Sussex in 1661 and held that position until his death in 1681.
In the 18th century, there was a prominent family named Maggett who owned land and estates in the county of Gloucestershire. One member of this family, Robert Maggett, was born in 1722 and served as a Justice of the Peace for the county.
Moving into the 19th century, a notable figure with the surname Maggett was Thomas Maggett, an English author and journalist born in 1824. He wrote several books on various topics, including works on history and travel.
Finally, in the early 20th century, there was a British artist named Cyril Maggett who was born in 1886. He was known for his landscape paintings and worked primarily in watercolors and oils.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Maggett
Among Census respondents with the surname Maggett, the largest self-reported group is Black at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Maggett 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 Maggett surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American89.6% · 103
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.6% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.6% · 3
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
- White1.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Maggett
Maggett 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
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-9 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,268 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-3 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,617 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,872 | 127 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 16,268 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.5%) | Down 4,617 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 Maggett 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 | #141,140 | #145,757 | -3.3% |
| Count | 118 | 115 | -2.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Maggett bearers went from 118 to 115 (-2.5% change). The surname moved down 4,617 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #145,757.
FAQ
Maggett surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Maggett?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Maggett. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Maggett?
Maggett ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Maggett. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Maggett.
Has Maggett become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Maggett went from 118 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Maggett?
Among Census respondents with the surname Maggett, the largest self-reported group is Black at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.6%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Maggett in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.6% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Maggett appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (89.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%), American Indian/Alaska Native (2.6%). 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 Maggett (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 Maggett mean?
A surname derived from "maggot," likely referring to an occupation involving livestock or farming. 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 Maggett (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 have the last name Maggett?
See how many people are called Maggett on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.