2000
#123,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Maglaras
Potentially referring to someone from the Greek town of Maglara.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Maglaras. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Maglaras 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Maglaras in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Maglaras, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%) and Black (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Maglaras
The surname MAGLARAS is of Greek origin, tracing its roots back to the ancient Greek civilizations of the Mediterranean region. It is believed to have originated on the Greek mainland, particularly in the regions of Attica and the Peloponnese, during the Byzantine era.
MAGLARAS is derived from the Greek word "maglara," which means "cave" or "cavern." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with individuals who lived in or near caves, or perhaps those who worked as cave dwellers or miners.
Records from the Byzantine period, dating back to the 6th to 15th centuries, contain references to individuals bearing variations of the name, such as Maglaris, Maglaras, and Maglarinos. These variations reflect the regional dialects and spelling conventions of the time.
One of the earliest known references to the name MAGLARAS can be found in a Byzantine manuscript from the 11th century, which mentions a certain Georgios Maglaras, a scholar and scribe from the city of Athens.
During the Ottoman occupation of Greece, which lasted from the 15th to the early 19th century, the name MAGLARAS continued to be used by Greek families. One notable figure from this period was Petros Maglaras (1670-1738), a renowned merchant and philanthropist from the island of Chios.
In more recent history, the name MAGLARAS has been associated with several prominent individuals, including:
1. Konstantinos Maglaras (1849-1920), a Greek politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the early 20th century.
2. Yorgos Maglaras (1905-1982), a celebrated Greek painter and sculptor known for his modernist works.
3. Nikos Maglaras (1912-1995), a prominent Greek author and poet, best known for his collection of short stories titled "The Cypress and the Rock."
4. Dimitris Maglaras (1919-2006), a Greek military officer and politician who served as the Minister of Defense in the 1970s.
5. Eleni Maglaras (1948-present), a Greek architect and urban planner, recognized for her contributions to sustainable urban design.
While the name MAGLARAS is primarily associated with Greece, it has also been carried by individuals of Greek descent in various parts of the world, particularly in regions with significant Greek diaspora communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Maglaras
Among Census respondents with the surname Maglaras, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%) and Black (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Maglaras 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 Maglaras surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.6% · 114
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Maglaras
Maglaras 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
#129,047
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 132
+3 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,733 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-14 bearers (-10.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,464 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #123,314 | 129 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #129,047 | 132 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 5,733 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -14 bearers (-10.6%) | Down 14,464 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 Maglaras 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 | #129,047 | #143,511 | -11.2% |
| Count | 132 | 118 | -10.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Maglaras bearers went from 132 to 118 (-10.6% change). The surname moved down 14,464 positions in the national ranking, going from #129,047 to #143,511.
FAQ
Maglaras surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Maglaras?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Maglaras. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Maglaras?
Maglaras ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Maglaras. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Maglaras.
Has Maglaras become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Maglaras went from 132 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 14 (-10.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #129,047 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Maglaras?
Among Census respondents with the surname Maglaras, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%) and Black (0.8%). 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 Maglaras in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.6% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Maglaras appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%), Black (0.8%). 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 Maglaras (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 Maglaras mean?
Potentially referring to someone from the Greek town of Maglara. 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 Maglaras (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 share the surname Maglaras?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.