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

Maine, 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 Maine surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Maine in America

Maine is the 9104th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Maine surname appeared 3,589 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 Maine.

We can also compare 2010 data for Maine 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 Maine

The surname Maine originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "maene," which means "common" or "shared." This suggests that the name likely referred to a person who lived on commonly held or shared land.

The earliest recorded instance of the surname Maine dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "de Meine." This entry indicates that the name was already established in England by the time of the Norman Conquest.

In the 12th century, the name was also recorded in various forms, such as "de la Meyne" and "de Mayne." These variations suggest that the name may have been influenced by the Norman French language, which was prevalent in England at the time.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Maine was Roger de Meine, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Berkshire in 1195. Another notable early bearer of the name was William de la Meyne, who was recorded in the Curia Regis Rolls of Wiltshire in 1205.

The surname Maine has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Maine in Dorset and Maine in Hampshire. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in various spellings, such as "Mayn," "Mayne," and "Meyne." One notable individual from this period was John Mayn, who was born in 1310 and served as a member of the English Parliament.

During the 16th century, the spelling of the surname became more standardized as "Maine." One notable bearer of the name from this period was Sir Henry Maine (1522-1596), who was an English soldier and politician.

In the 17th century, the surname Maine was also found in Scotland, where it was likely introduced through English settlers. One notable Scottish individual with the name was Alexander Maine (1625-1697), who was a minister and author.

Throughout history, the surname Maine has been borne by various individuals of note, including the English philosopher and historian Sir Henry Maine (1822-1888), the American politician and diplomat John D. Maine (1836-1901), and the Canadian actor and filmmaker Rae Maine (1932-2018).

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Maine

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

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 Maine 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 Maine 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 Maine was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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