2000
#1,456
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,503
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.34
Uncommon Last name
Maher
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Meachair," meaning "descendant of Meachar," a personal name meaning "kindly" or "generous."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 25,806 Americans carry the last name Maher. That puts it at #1,559 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.53 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 13,282 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Maher 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Maher with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
26K
1 in 13,282
Census rank
#1,559
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
23K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 22,504 bearers of the surname Maher in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.53 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1559th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Maher, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Maher
Among Census respondents with the surname Maher, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Maher 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 Maher surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 20,533
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 779
- Two or more races3.0% · 683
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 320
- Black or African American0.5% · 115
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 74
Timeline
Historical Census data for Maher
Maher 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
#1,549
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,222
+719 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 7.87
Rank movement Down 93 places
2020
#1,559
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,504
-718 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 7.53
Rank movement Down 10 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,456 | 22,503 | 8.34 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,549 | 23,222 | 7.87 | +719 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 93 places |
| 2020 | #1,559 | 22,504 | 7.53 | -718 bearers (-3.1%) | Down 10 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 Maher 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 | #1,549 | #1,559 | -0.6% |
| Count | 23,222 | 22,504 | -3.1% |
| Per 100K | 7.87 | 7.53 | -4.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Maher bearers went from 23,222 to 22,504 (-3.1% change). The surname moved down 10 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,549 to #1,559.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Maher
FAQ
Maher surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Maher?
Name Census estimates that about 25,806 living Americans carry the surname Maher. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 13,282 residents.
How common is Maher?
Maher ranks #1,559 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.53 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 22,504 people with the surname Maher. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (25,806), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.53 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.53 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Maher.
Has Maher become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Maher went from 23,222 recorded bearers to 22,504. That is a decrease of 718 (-3.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,549 to #1,559.
What does the Census say about the background of Maher?
Among Census respondents with the surname Maher, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Maher in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (20,533 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Maher appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Maher (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 Maher mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Meachair," meaning "descendant of Meachar," a personal name meaning "kindly" or "generous." 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 Maher (7.53 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 are called Maher?
See how many people have the surname Maher on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.