2010
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Maiani
An Italian surname possibly derived from a place name referring to origins.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Maiani. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Maiani 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Maiani in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Maiani, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.2%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Maiani
The surname Maiani originated in Italy, with its roots tracing back to the 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the Italian word "maiano," meaning "stone quarry" or "mining settlement," suggesting that the earliest bearers of this name were likely associated with the mining or quarrying industry.
The name Maiani is predominantly found in the regions of Tuscany and Lazio, particularly in areas around Florence and Rome. In the early 15th century, records show the presence of the Maiani family in Florence, where they were involved in the textile trade and held prominent positions within the city's guilds.
One of the earliest documented references to the Maiani name can be found in the Archivio di Stato di Firenze (State Archives of Florence), where a certain Niccolò Maiani is mentioned in a document dated 1412. This record indicates that he was a wealthy merchant and landowner in the city.
In the 16th century, the Maiani family gained further prominence with the birth of Gregorio Maiani (1515-1587), a renowned Italian mathematician and astronomer. He served as a professor at the University of Rome and made significant contributions to the fields of mathematics and astronomy.
Another notable figure bearing the Maiani surname was Luciano Maiani (1937-2023), an Italian particle physicist and academic. He served as the Director-General of CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) from 1976 to 1988 and played a crucial role in the development of particle accelerators and the discovery of the Higgs boson.
The Maiani name has also been associated with various place names in Italy. For instance, the village of Maiano, located near Florence, is believed to have derived its name from the same root as the surname Maiani, further reinforcing the connection between the name and the mining or quarrying industry.
Other notable individuals with the Maiani surname include Giovanni Battista Maiani (1680-1752), an Italian painter and architect active in Rome during the Baroque period, and Dora Maiani (1917-2015), an Italian film actress who appeared in several notable movies during the mid-20th century.
While the Maiani surname has its origins in Italy, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and cultural exchange, contributing to the rich tapestry of global surnames and their diverse histories.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Maiani
Among Census respondents with the surname Maiani, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.2%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Maiani 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 Maiani surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 108
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.2% · 5
- Two or more races4.2% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Maiani
Maiani 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
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+19 bearers (+19.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 18,187 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +19 bearers (+19.0%) | Up 18,187 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 Maiani 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 | #160,975 | #142,788 | 11.3% |
| Count | 100 | 119 | 19.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 32.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Maiani bearers went from 100 to 119 (+19.0% change). The surname moved up 18,187 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #142,788.
FAQ
Maiani surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Maiani?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Maiani. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Maiani?
Maiani ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Maiani. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Maiani.
Has Maiani become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Maiani went from 100 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 19 (+19.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Maiani?
Among Census respondents with the surname Maiani, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.2%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Maiani in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Maiani appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.2%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Maiani (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 Maiani mean?
An Italian surname possibly derived from a place name referring to origins. 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 Maiani (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 many people have the last name Maiani?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Maiani on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.