2000
#14,706
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,853
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.69
Rare Last name
Maida
An Italian toponymic surname referring to someone from Maida, a town in Calabria, Italy.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,339 Americans carry the last name Maida. That puts it at #14,129 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 146,539 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Maida 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
2.3K
1 in 146,539
Census rank
#14,129
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,040 bearers of the surname Maida in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14129th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Maida, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Maida
The surname MAIDA is of Italian origin, originating from the region of Sicily in southern Italy. It is believed to have derived from the Latin word 'madia', which referred to a type of kneading trough used for making bread. The name likely began as an occupational surname for someone who worked as a baker or miller.
The earliest recorded instances of the name MAIDA can be traced back to the 13th century in various Sicilian documents and records. One notable historical reference is the appearance of the name in the 'Repartimiento de Mallorca', a medieval document from the 13th century that recorded the distribution of land and properties in the newly conquered island of Majorca.
In the 14th century, the name MAIDA began to appear in other regions of Italy, particularly in the areas around Naples and Calabria. During this time, variations of the spelling emerged, such as Maida, Maydda, and Maidia.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname MAIDA was Luca Maida, a renowned Sicilian painter who lived in the 16th century (c. 1520 - 1590). His works can be found in various churches and galleries throughout Sicily.
Another notable figure was Placido Maida (1642 - 1719), a Sicilian architect and engineer who was responsible for the design and construction of several important buildings in Palermo, including the Church of San Domenico.
In the 18th century, Vincenzo Maida (1770 - 1837) was a prominent Italian military commander who served under Napoleon Bonaparte. He is best known for his victory over the British forces at the Battle of Maida in 1806, which took place in Calabria.
During the 19th century, the name MAIDA spread further across Italy and beyond. Giuseppe Maida (1825 - 1892) was an Italian politician and patriot who played a significant role in the unification of Italy under the Kingdom of Sardinia.
In more recent times, Salvatore Maida (1915 - 1989) was an Italian-American prelate who served as the Archbishop of Detroit from 1990 to 1996.
While the surname MAIDA originated in Sicily, it has since been adopted by families in various parts of Italy and across the world due to migration and diaspora. The name continues to carry its historical roots and connections to the baking and milling trades of ancient times.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Maida
Among Census respondents with the surname Maida, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Maida 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 Maida surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.1% · 1,797
- Hispanic or Latino7.5% · 154
- Two or more races2.5% · 50
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 24
- Black or African American0.6% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Maida
Maida 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
#14,356
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,084
+231 bearers (+12.5%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Up 350 places
2020
#14,129
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,040
-44 bearers (-2.1%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Up 227 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,706 | 1,853 | 0.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,356 | 2,084 | 0.71 | +231 bearers (+12.5%) | Up 350 places |
| 2020 | #14,129 | 2,040 | 0.68 | -44 bearers (-2.1%) | Up 227 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 Maida 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 | #14,356 | #14,129 | 1.6% |
| Count | 2,084 | 2,040 | -2.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.71 | 0.68 | -3.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Maida bearers went from 2,084 to 2,040 (-2.1% change). The surname moved up 227 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,356 to #14,129.
FAQ
Maida surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Maida?
Name Census estimates that about 2,339 living Americans carry the surname Maida. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 146,539 residents.
How common is Maida?
Maida ranks #14,129 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.68 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 2,040 people with the surname Maida. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,339), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.68 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 Maida.
Has Maida become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Maida went from 2,084 recorded bearers to 2,040. That is a decrease of 44 (-2.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,356 to #14,129.
What does the Census say about the background of Maida?
Among Census respondents with the surname Maida, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Maida in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.1% (1,797 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Maida appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.1%), Hispanic (7.5%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Maida (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 Maida mean?
An Italian toponymic surname referring to someone from Maida, a town in Calabria, Italy. 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 Maida (0.68 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 Americans have the surname Maida?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.