Find out how popular the last name Maha is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Maha.

Maha, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Maha surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Maha in America

Maha is the 90113th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Maha surname appeared 205 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Maha.

We can also compare 2010 data for Maha to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Maha

The surname "MAHA" has its origins in India, where it is believed to have originated as early as the 5th century AD. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "maha," which means "great" or "mighty." This suggests that the name may have been initially bestowed upon individuals who were considered powerful or held positions of authority.

In ancient Hindu texts, such as the Mahabharata and the Puranas, the word "maha" is often used as a prefix to denote greatness or eminence. This lends credence to the theory that the surname "MAHA" was initially adopted by those of significant social or religious standing.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname "MAHA" can be found in the Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th-century administrative document commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Akbar. In this text, several individuals with the surname "MAHA" are mentioned, including Maharaja Maha Singh (1530-1597), a prominent ruler of the Sikh empire.

During the medieval period, the surname "MAHA" was also prevalent in various regions of southern India, particularly in the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Historical records from this era mention notable individuals such as Maha Vaidyanatha Iyer (1560-1635), a renowned scholar and philosopher, and Maha Lakshmi Ammaal (1650-1720), a revered poet and mystic.

As the Indian subcontinent experienced numerous invasions and cultural exchanges, the surname "MAHA" spread to other regions, including present-day Pakistan and Bangladesh. One notable figure from this period was Maha Raja Ranjit Singh (1780-1839), the powerful ruler of the Sikh Empire who unified the Punjab region.

In more recent times, the surname "MAHA" has been associated with several influential individuals, such as Maha Vir Chakra (1914-1999), an Indian military officer and recipient of the nation's highest gallantry award, and Maha Shri Rajput (1925-2009), a renowned Bollywood actor and filmmaker.

While the surname "MAHA" is primarily concentrated in South Asia, it has also found its way to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora communities. Notable individuals with this surname include Maha Sinnathamby (1936-2021), a Malaysian-Australian engineer and entrepreneur, and Maha Vajiralongkorn (born 1952), the current King of Thailand.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Maha

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Maha.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Maha was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Maha has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Maha was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Maha, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!