2010
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Maheia
A Spanish surname likely derived from a place name in Spain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Maheia. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Maheia 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Maheia in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Maheia, the largest self-reported group is Black at 63.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (16.8%) and White (7.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Maheia
The surname MAHEIA is believed to have originated in the region of Brittany, France, during the medieval period. The name is thought to be derived from the Breton words "mah" meaning "field" and "heia" meaning "oats," suggesting a connection to agriculture or land ownership.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name MAHEIA can be found in the Breton cartulary of the Abbey of Landevennec, dating back to the 11th century. This document mentions a landowner named Hervé MAHEIA who donated land to the abbey.
The name MAHEIA also appears in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners and estates in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This suggests that individuals bearing this surname may have migrated from Brittany to England during the Norman conquest.
In the 13th century, a prominent figure named Guillaume MAHEIA was recorded as a wealthy merchant and landowner in the city of Rennes, Brittany. His family's influence and wealth likely contributed to the spread and recognition of the surname throughout the region.
During the 15th century, a notable individual named Jeanne MAHEIA was mentioned in historical records as a prominent abbess in the Benedictine convent of Saint-Sulpice-la-Forêt, located in the Mayenne region of France.
Another individual of note was Jean MAHEIA, born in 1542 in the village of Plumaugat, Brittany. He was a respected scholar and theologian who authored several works on religious philosophy during the Renaissance period.
In the 17th century, a family by the name of MAHEIA was recorded as influential landowners in the region of Côtes-d'Armor, Brittany. Their estate, known as the Manoir de Kerguehennec, remains a historic landmark to this day.
While the surname MAHEIA originated in Brittany, over time it has spread to other regions of France and beyond, with individuals bearing this name making their mark in various fields throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Maheia
Among Census respondents with the surname Maheia, the largest self-reported group is Black at 63.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (16.8%) and White (7.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Maheia 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 Maheia surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American63.7% · 72
- Hispanic or Latino16.8% · 19
- White7.1% · 8
- Two or more races7.1% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Maheia
Maheia appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+12 bearers (+11.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 12,491 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+11.9%) | Up 12,491 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 Maheia 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 | #159,712 | #147,221 | 7.8% |
| Count | 101 | 113 | 11.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 26.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Maheia bearers went from 101 to 113 (+11.9% change). The surname moved up 12,491 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #147,221.
FAQ
Maheia surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Maheia?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Maheia. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Maheia?
Maheia ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Maheia. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Maheia.
Has Maheia become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Maheia went from 101 recorded bearers to 113. That is an increase of 12 (+11.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Maheia?
Among Census respondents with the surname Maheia, the largest self-reported group is Black at 63.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (16.8%) and White (7.1%). 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 Maheia in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.7% (72 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Maheia appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (63.7%), Hispanic (16.8%), White (7.1%). 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 Maheia (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 Maheia mean?
A Spanish surname likely derived from a place name in Spain. 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 Maheia (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 common is the surname Maheia?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Maheia, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.