2000
#2,629
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,631
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.68
Uncommon Last name
Main
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near an important or main road, river, or village.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,977 Americans carry the last name Main. That puts it at #2,880 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 24,523 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Main 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Main with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 24,523
Census rank
#2,880
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,189 bearers of the surname Main in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2880th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Main, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Main
The surname MAIN is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "maene" or "gemæne", which means "common" or "public". This name was likely given to someone who lived on a common or shared land.
The earliest recorded use of the surname MAIN dates back to the 13th century in the county of Yorkshire, England. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 mention a Thomas de la Mayne, which is an early spelling variation of the name.
During the 14th century, the name appeared in various records across different regions of England. The Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327 list a Robert le Mayne, while the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1332 mention a John le Mayne.
In the 15th century, the surname MAIN began to appear in its modern spelling. The Feet of Fines for Essex in 1488 includes a reference to a John Mayn, and the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk from 1524 list a Thomas Mayn.
Historically, the surname MAIN has been associated with several notable individuals. Sir John Main (1459-1516) was a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire during the reign of Henry VIII. Thomas Main (1586-1653) was an English clergyman and author who wrote a commentary on the Book of Revelation.
Another notable figure was William Main (1615-1695), an English Puritan minister and author who served as a chaplain during the English Civil War. John Main (1605-1678) was a Scottish mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the development of logarithms.
In the 18th century, George Main (1730-1803) was a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War. He later became a Member of Parliament for Ipswich.
As the surname spread across different regions, local variations and spellings emerged, such as Mane, Mayne, and Mayn. These variations often reflected the local dialects and pronunciations of the name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Main
Among Census respondents with the surname Main, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Main 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 Main surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.8% · 10,821
- Two or more races3.9% · 473
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 444
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 197
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 156
- Black or African American0.8% · 98
Timeline
Historical Census data for Main
Main 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
#2,824
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,776
+145 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 4.33
Rank movement Down 195 places
2020
#2,880
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,189
-587 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 4.08
Rank movement Down 56 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,629 | 12,631 | 4.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,824 | 12,776 | 4.33 | +145 bearers (+1.1%) | Down 195 places |
| 2020 | #2,880 | 12,189 | 4.08 | -587 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 56 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 Main 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 | #2,824 | #2,880 | -2.0% |
| Count | 12,776 | 12,189 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 4.33 | 4.08 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Main bearers went from 12,776 to 12,189 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 56 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,824 to #2,880.
FAQ
Main surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Main?
Name Census estimates that about 13,977 living Americans carry the surname Main. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 24,523 residents.
How common is Main?
Main ranks #2,880 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.08 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,189 people with the surname Main. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,977), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.08 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Main.
Has Main become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Main went from 12,776 recorded bearers to 12,189. That is a decrease of 587 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,824 to #2,880.
What does the Census say about the background of Main?
Among Census respondents with the surname Main, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Main in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.8% (10,821 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Main appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.8%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Main (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 Main mean?
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near an important or main road, river, or village. 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 Main (4.08 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 Main?
Want to know how many people have the last name Main? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.