2000
#13,463
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,074
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.77
Rare Last name
Mahmoud
A surname of Arabic origin meaning "praiseworthy" or "commendable," derived from the Arabic root ḥ-m-d.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,499 Americans carry the last name Mahmoud. That puts it at #6,756 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 62,330 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mahmoud 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 Mahmoud with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.5K
1 in 62,330
Census rank
#6,756
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,795 bearers of the surname Mahmoud in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6756th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mahmoud, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.5%. The next largest groups are Black (16.4%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mahmoud
The surname Mahmoud is of Arabic origin and can be traced back to the early Islamic period, around the 7th century AD. The name is derived from the Arabic word "mahmud," which means "praised" or "praiseworthy." It is believed to have originated in the Arabian Peninsula, specifically in the regions of modern-day Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states.
In the early days of Islam, the name Mahmoud was commonly used as a given name, often bestowed upon male children as a way to express the parents' desire for their child to be praised and admired. Over time, the name became more widely adopted as a surname, particularly among Arab families.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Mahmoud can be found in the historical chronicles of the Abbasid Caliphate, which ruled over vast territories in the Middle East and North Africa from the 8th to the 13th century. During this period, several prominent figures bore the surname, including the renowned poet and scholar Abu Al-Qasim Mahmoud Al-Zamakhshari (1075-1144), who made significant contributions to Arabic literature and linguistics.
The surname Mahmoud also appeared in various historical manuscripts and records from the Mamluk Sultanate, which ruled over Egypt, Syria, and parts of the Levant from the 13th to the 16th century. One notable figure from this era was Sultan Al-Malik Al-Mahmoud (1349-1361), who ascended to the throne of the Mamluk Sultanate at a young age and is remembered for his efforts to promote education and cultural development.
As the Islamic empires expanded and trade routes flourished, the surname Mahmoud spread to other regions, including parts of Central Asia, the Indian subcontinent, and Southeast Asia. In the 16th century, the Mughal Emperor Akbar the Great (1542-1605) had a courtier named Mahmoud Beg, who served as a military commander and is mentioned in several historical accounts.
Another prominent figure associated with the surname Mahmoud was the Ottoman Sufi poet and scholar, Mahmoud Abdulbaki (1551-1600), who was renowned for his mystical poetry and contributions to Islamic theology. His works continue to be widely studied and appreciated in the Turkish and Persian cultural spheres.
Throughout history, the surname Mahmoud has been borne by numerous individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions, including scholars, poets, rulers, and military leaders. While this is not an exhaustive list, some other notable figures with the surname Mahmoud include the 19th-century Egyptian politician and reformer Muhammad Mahmoud Pasha (1837-1892), the Syrian-born American writer Ameen Rihani (1876-1940), and the Palestinian poet and activist Mahmoud Darwish (1941-2008).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mahmoud
Among Census respondents with the surname Mahmoud, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.5%. The next largest groups are Black (16.4%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Mahmoud 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 Mahmoud surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.5% · 3,474
- Black or African American16.4% · 785
- Two or more races5.5% · 262
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 161
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.3% · 110
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mahmoud
Mahmoud 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
#9,709
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,342
+1,268 bearers (+61.1%)
Per 100,000 1.13
Rank movement Up 3,754 places
2020
#6,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,795
+1,453 bearers (+43.5%)
Per 100,000 1.60
Rank movement Up 2,953 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,463 | 2,074 | 0.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,709 | 3,342 | 1.13 | +1,268 bearers (+61.1%) | Up 3,754 places |
| 2020 | #6,756 | 4,795 | 1.60 | +1,453 bearers (+43.5%) | Up 2,953 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 Mahmoud 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 | #9,709 | #6,756 | 30.4% |
| Count | 3,342 | 4,795 | 43.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.13 | 1.60 | 42.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mahmoud bearers went from 3,342 to 4,795 (+43.5% change). The surname moved up 2,953 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,709 to #6,756.
FAQ
Mahmoud surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mahmoud?
Name Census estimates that about 5,499 living Americans carry the surname Mahmoud. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 62,330 residents.
How common is Mahmoud?
Mahmoud ranks #6,756 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.60 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,795 people with the surname Mahmoud. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,499), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.60 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Mahmoud.
Has Mahmoud become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mahmoud went from 3,342 recorded bearers to 4,795. That is an increase of 1,453 (+43.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,709 to #6,756.
What does the Census say about the background of Mahmoud?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mahmoud, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.5%. The next largest groups are Black (16.4%) and Two or More Races (5.5%). 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 Mahmoud in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.5% (3,474 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mahmoud appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.5%), Black (16.4%), Two or More Races (5.5%). 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 Mahmoud (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 Mahmoud mean?
A surname of Arabic origin meaning "praiseworthy" or "commendable," derived from the Arabic root ḥ-m-d. 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 Mahmoud (1.60 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 Mahmoud?
You can see how many people are called Mahmoud on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.