2000
#44,997
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 449
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.17
Rare Last name
Maina
A surname of Hindi origin indicating one who has broad shoulders or is stoutly built.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,056 Americans carry the last name Maina. That puts it at #15,680 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 166,709 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Maina 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 Maina with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 166,709
Census rank
#15,680
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,793 bearers of the surname Maina in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15680th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Maina, the largest self-reported group is Black at 83.3%. The next largest groups are White (9.4%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Maina
The surname Maina has its origins in the Indian subcontinent, with roots tracing back to the medieval era. It is believed to have originated in the northern regions of India, particularly in areas around present-day Punjab and Haryana.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Maina can be found in ancient Sanskrit texts, where it is thought to have been derived from the word "maina," meaning "peacock." This connection to the revered bird may have been used as a surname to denote beauty, grace, or perhaps even a family's association with the rearing or trading of peacocks.
During the Mughal Empire, which ruled over much of the Indian subcontinent from the 16th to the 19th centuries, the surname Maina appeared in various administrative records and documents. One notable example is Mir Maina, a Mughal-era poet and scholar who lived in the 17th century and was renowned for his works in Persian and Urdu literature.
As the surname Maina spread across the region, it also took on variations in spelling, such as Myna, Myna, and Meyna. These variations were often influenced by local dialects and pronunciations, as well as the scribes who transcribed the names.
In the 18th century, the Maina surname gained prominence with the rise of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the founder of the Sikh Empire. One of his trusted advisors and military commanders was Sardar Maina Singh, who played a crucial role in the expansion of the empire and the conquest of several territories.
Another notable figure bearing the Maina surname was Munshi Maina Lal, a 19th-century Indian writer and translator who made significant contributions to the literary world. He was born in 1828 and is best known for his translations of English works into Hindi and Urdu.
In the realm of art and culture, Maina Mirza, a prominent Indian painter and sculptor, gained recognition for her work in the 20th century. Born in 1912, she was known for her vibrant depictions of Indian traditions and folklore, and her works are displayed in various galleries and museums across the world.
The Maina surname has also been associated with several place names in the Indian subcontinent, such as Maina Devi, a town in the state of Himachal Pradesh, and Maina Khurd, a village in the state of Punjab. These place names may have influenced the adoption of the surname by families residing in or originating from those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Maina
Among Census respondents with the surname Maina, the largest self-reported group is Black at 83.3%. The next largest groups are White (9.4%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Maina 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 Maina surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American83.3% · 1,494
- White9.4% · 168
- Two or more races3.2% · 57
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 39
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Maina
Maina 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
#23,185
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,100
+651 bearers (+145.0%)
Per 100,000 0.37
Rank movement Up 21,812 places
2020
#15,680
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,793
+693 bearers (+63.0%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Up 7,505 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #44,997 | 449 | 0.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #23,185 | 1,100 | 0.37 | +651 bearers (+145.0%) | Up 21,812 places |
| 2020 | #15,680 | 1,793 | 0.60 | +693 bearers (+63.0%) | Up 7,505 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 Maina 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 | #23,185 | #15,680 | 32.4% |
| Count | 1,100 | 1,793 | 63.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.37 | 0.60 | 62.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Maina bearers went from 1,100 to 1,793 (+63.0% change). The surname moved up 7,505 positions in the national ranking, going from #23,185 to #15,680.
FAQ
Maina surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Maina?
Name Census estimates that about 2,056 living Americans carry the surname Maina. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 166,709 residents.
How common is Maina?
Maina ranks #15,680 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.60 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 1,793 people with the surname Maina. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,056), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.60 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 Maina.
Has Maina become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Maina went from 1,100 recorded bearers to 1,793. That is an increase of 693 (+63.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #23,185 to #15,680.
What does the Census say about the background of Maina?
Among Census respondents with the surname Maina, the largest self-reported group is Black at 83.3%. The next largest groups are White (9.4%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Maina in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.3% (1,494 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Maina appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (83.3%), White (9.4%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Maina (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 Maina mean?
A surname of Hindi origin indicating one who has broad shoulders or is stoutly built. 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 Maina (0.60 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 Maina?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.