Find out how popular the last name Maillet is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Maillet.

Maillet, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Maillet surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Maillet in America

Maillet is the 17551st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Maillet surname appeared 1,603 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Maillet.

We can also compare 2010 data for Maillet to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Maillet

The surname Maillet has its origins in France, where it first appeared in the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "maillier," meaning "to strike" or "to hammer," suggesting that the name may have originally referred to someone who worked as a blacksmith or other metalworker.

The earliest known record of the Maillet name dates back to 1189, when a certain Renaud Maillet was mentioned in a legal document from the region of Normandy. During this period, the name was sometimes spelled as "Mailliet" or "Mailliet."

In the 13th century, the Maillet family established itself in the northwestern French region of Brittany, where they owned land and held positions of influence. One notable member was Jean Maillet, who served as a magistrate in the city of Rennes in the late 1200s.

The Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any references to the Maillet name. This suggests that the family's origins were firmly rooted in France.

Over the centuries, the Maillet name spread to various parts of France, with members of the family achieving prominence in different fields. Guillaume Maillet (1568-1644) was a respected jurist and legal scholar who served as a counselor to the Parliament of Paris.

In the 18th century, Gilles Maillet (1725-1790) was a prominent French naval officer and explorer who participated in several expeditions to the South Pacific. He is credited with mapping and naming several islands in the region.

Jean-Baptiste Maillet (1758-1836) was a French naturalist and philosopher who proposed one of the earliest theories of evolution, which he outlined in his work "Telliamed" (published posthumously in 1748).

During the 19th century, the Maillet name gained recognition in the world of literature. Édouard Maillet (1808-1892) was a French author and playwright who wrote numerous plays and novels, some of which were adapted for the stage.

Another notable figure was Jules Maillet (1833-1899), a French painter and illustrator who is best known for his illustrations in the works of Victor Hugo and other prominent authors of the time.

While the Maillet surname is most commonly associated with France, it has also spread to other parts of the world, including Canada, where many French immigrants settled over the centuries, bringing their family names with them.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Maillet

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Maillet.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Maillet was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Maillet has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Maillet was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Maillet, please contact us.

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