2010
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Mailhes
A surname of French origin, possibly derived from a place name or occupation.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Mailhes. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mailhes 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Mailhes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mailhes, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Black (2.7%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mailhes
The surname MAILHES originated in the Languedoc region of southern France, specifically around the areas of Tarn and Aude. It likely dates back to the 12th or 13th century during the height of the Occitan language's prominence. The name is believed to be derived from the Occitan words "malh" or "malho," meaning "small hamlet" or "little village," which points to the name's geographic origins.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the MAILHES name can be found in the Seigneurial Records of Languedoc from the late 13th century, where a "Guilhem de Mailhes" is mentioned as a landowner in the vicinity of Carcassonne. This suggests that the MAILHES family had already established itself as a prominent local presence by that time.
In the 14th century, the MAILHES name appears in various municipal records and tax rolls in the towns of Castres and Mazamet, indicating the family's spread throughout the Tarn region. One notable figure was Bertrand MAILHES, a wool merchant born in Mazamet around 1350, who played a role in the city's prosperous textile trade.
During the 16th century, the MAILHES name gained further recognition when Jean MAILHES (1525-1597) served as a captain in the Protestant armies during the French Wars of Religion. His exploits were documented in several contemporary accounts, cementing the family's association with the Protestant cause in that turbulent period.
In the 17th century, the MAILHES lineage produced several notable figures in the legal and academic spheres. Etienne MAILHES (1620-1688) was a renowned jurist and professor of law at the University of Toulouse, while his nephew, Antoine MAILHES (1658-1738), became a respected theologian and author of several influential works on Calvinist doctrine.
Another prominent individual bearing the MAILHES name was Marguerite MAILHES (1788-1865), a pioneer in female education who founded one of the first schools for girls in the city of Albi. Her efforts were widely praised and contributed to the advancement of women's rights in the region.
Throughout its history, the MAILHES surname has maintained a strong connection to the Languedoc region, with many variations in spelling, such as Mailhes, Malhes, Malhez, and Maillez, appearing in various records over the centuries. Despite its regional roots, the name has since spread to other parts of France and beyond, carried by descendants of the original MAILHES families.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mailhes
Among Census respondents with the surname Mailhes, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Black (2.7%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Mailhes 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 Mailhes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.9% · 105
- Black or African American2.7% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 3
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mailhes
Mailhes 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
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+2 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,126 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.8%) | Up 1,126 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 Mailhes 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 | #148,347 | #147,221 | 0.8% |
| Count | 111 | 113 | 1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mailhes bearers went from 111 to 113 (+1.8% change). The surname moved up 1,126 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #147,221.
FAQ
Mailhes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mailhes?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Mailhes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Mailhes?
Mailhes ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Mailhes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Mailhes.
Has Mailhes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mailhes went from 111 recorded bearers to 113. That is an increase of 2 (+1.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #148,347 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Mailhes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mailhes, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Black (2.7%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Mailhes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mailhes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.9%), Black (2.7%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Mailhes (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 Mailhes mean?
A surname of French origin, possibly derived from a place name or occupation. 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 Mailhes (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 common is the surname Mailhes?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Mailhes, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.