2000
#8,647
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,499
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.30
Rare Last name
Mahone
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Mathghamhna, meaning "descendant of Mathghamhain," derived from "bear" and "calf."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,171 Americans carry the last name Mahone. That puts it at #8,656 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.22 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 82,176 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mahone 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
4.2K
1 in 82,176
Census rank
#8,656
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,637 bearers of the surname Mahone in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.22 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8656th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mahone, the largest self-reported group is Black at 68.5%. The next largest groups are White (22.3%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mahone
The surname Mahone originated in Ireland during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Irish Gaelic name O'Mathghamhna, meaning "descendant of Mathghamhain." The name Mathghamhain is a compound of the Irish words "maith" meaning good and "gamhain" meaning calf or breed of cattle.
The Mahone surname was first found in County Cork, where they were a prominent family descended from the ancient Kings of Munster. One of the earliest records of the name is found in the Annals of Inisfallen, which mention a Mathghamhain who was the chief poet of Munster in the year 1014.
In the 13th century, a branch of the Mahone family settled in County Clare, where they held lands and estates. In the 1659 Census of Ireland, several Mahone families were recorded in County Clare, including the family of Donogh Mahone of Bally-Vahone.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname was Sir William Mahone, who was born in County Cork around 1350. He was a prominent soldier and served as the High Sheriff of County Cork in 1382.
Another notable Mahone was Donough Mahone, born in County Clare in 1590. He was a renowned Irish Catholic priest and scholar, known for his work in preserving ancient Irish manuscripts and promoting Irish language and culture.
In the 17th century, during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland, many Mahone families were dispossessed of their lands and estates. Some members of the family emigrated to other parts of Europe and the Americas to seek new opportunities.
One famous bearer of the Mahone surname was William Mahone, born in 1826 in Southampton County, Virginia. He was a prominent American railroad executive, military officer, and political figure, serving as a Confederate General during the American Civil War and later as a U.S. Senator from Virginia.
The Mahone surname has also been found in various spellings throughout history, including O'Mahony, O'Mahoun, Mahoun, and Mahown, reflecting the linguistic variations and regional dialects of Ireland.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mahone
Among Census respondents with the surname Mahone, the largest self-reported group is Black at 68.5%. The next largest groups are White (22.3%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Mahone 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 Mahone surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American68.5% · 2,491
- White22.3% · 811
- Two or more races5.5% · 199
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 96
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 21
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mahone
Mahone 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
#8,369
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,956
+457 bearers (+13.1%)
Per 100,000 1.34
Rank movement Up 278 places
2020
#8,656
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,637
-319 bearers (-8.1%)
Per 100,000 1.22
Rank movement Down 287 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,647 | 3,499 | 1.30 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,369 | 3,956 | 1.34 | +457 bearers (+13.1%) | Up 278 places |
| 2020 | #8,656 | 3,637 | 1.22 | -319 bearers (-8.1%) | Down 287 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 Mahone 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 | #8,369 | #8,656 | -3.4% |
| Count | 3,956 | 3,637 | -8.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.34 | 1.22 | -9.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mahone bearers went from 3,956 to 3,637 (-8.1% change). The surname moved down 287 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,369 to #8,656.
FAQ
Mahone surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mahone?
Name Census estimates that about 4,171 living Americans carry the surname Mahone. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 82,176 residents.
How common is Mahone?
Mahone ranks #8,656 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.22 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,637 people with the surname Mahone. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,171), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.22 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.22 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Mahone.
Has Mahone become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mahone went from 3,956 recorded bearers to 3,637. That is a decrease of 319 (-8.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,369 to #8,656.
What does the Census say about the background of Mahone?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mahone, the largest self-reported group is Black at 68.5%. The next largest groups are White (22.3%) 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mahone in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.5% (2,491 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mahone appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (68.5%), White (22.3%), 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 Mahone (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 Mahone mean?
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Mathghamhna, meaning "descendant of Mathghamhain," derived from "bear" and "calf." 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 Mahone (1.22 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 share the surname Mahone?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.