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

Maher, 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 Maher surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Maher in America

Maher is the 1549th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Maher surname appeared 23,222 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 8 people would have the surname Maher.

We can also compare 2010 data for Maher 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 Maher

The surname Maher has its origins in Ireland, dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Irish Gaelic word "maor," which means steward, bailiff, or officer. The name was commonly given to those who held positions of authority or worked as overseers or administrators.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Maher can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the early 17th century. The annals mention a prominent figure named Maher O'Doherty, who was chief of the Cenél Conaill in the 12th century.

The Maher surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Leinster and Munster, where it was anglicized from the Irish "Ó Maodhóir." The Mahers were a prominent family in the region and played a significant role in various historical events.

In the 14th century, a notable figure named John Maher was recorded as the Archbishop of Cashel, an important ecclesiastical position in Ireland at the time. Another early reference to the name can be found in the Register of the Priory of St. John the Baptist, which mentions a Thomas Maher in the 15th century.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Maher surname gained prominence in Ireland, and several individuals with this name made notable contributions. One such figure was William Maher (1572-1636), an Irish Jesuit priest and author who was known for his work in philosophy and theology.

Another prominent Maher was Cornelius Maher (1623-1678), an Irish Catholic prelate who served as the Bishop of Cloyne and Vicar Apostolic of Munster during the turbulent period of the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland.

In the 18th century, John Maher (1701-1783) was a notable Irish politician and member of the Irish House of Commons, representing the borough of Swords.

The 19th century saw the rise of several prominent Mahers, including Michael Maher (1825-1892), an Irish nationalist and Member of Parliament, and John Maher (1837-1915), an Irish-American Catholic priest and author.

Throughout history, the Maher surname has been associated with various place names and localities in Ireland, such as Mahermor in County Louth, Mahernagh in County Carlow, and Maherabeg in County Cork, among others.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Maher

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

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 Maher 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 Maher 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 Maher was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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