2000
#9,649
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,090
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.15
Rare Last name
Maitland
From the Scottish place name, likely derived from a combination of Gaelic words meaning "good" and "stream."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,532 Americans carry the last name Maitland. That puts it at #9,994 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 97,043 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Maitland 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 Maitland with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.5K
1 in 97,043
Census rank
#9,994
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,080 bearers of the surname Maitland in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9994th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Maitland, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.2%. The next largest groups are Black (17.8%) and Hispanic (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Maitland
The surname Maitland originates from Scotland and dates back to the 12th century. It is a territorial name derived from the lands of Maitland in Berwickshire, near the border with England. The name itself comes from the Old English words "mæht" meaning "might" or "power" and "land" meaning "land" or "estate".
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Maitland name appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which were a collection of acts of homage rendered to King Edward I of England by Scottish nobles and landowners. The name is also found in various charters and records from the 13th and 14th centuries.
The Maitlands were a prominent noble family in Scotland during the Middle Ages and held significant influence and power. Sir Richard Maitland (1496-1586) was a Scottish poet and lawyer who served as a Lord of Session and is considered one of the most important Scottish writers of the 16th century.
Another notable figure was John Maitland, 1st Lord Maitland of Thirlestane (1537-1595), who was a Scottish statesman and Lord Chancellor of Scotland. He played a crucial role in the Scottish Reformation and was a trusted advisor to Mary, Queen of Scots, and her son, King James VI.
In the 17th century, Charles Maitland (1628-1691) was a Scottish lawyer and politician who served as Lord Treasurer of Scotland and was instrumental in the Union of the Crowns of Scotland and England.
During the 18th century, James Maitland, 8th Earl of Lauderdale (1759-1839), was a prominent Scottish politician and author who held various governmental positions, including Lord President of the Council and First Lord of the Admiralty.
One of the most famous bearers of the Maitland name in more recent times was Frederic William Maitland (1850-1906), an English historian and jurist who is widely regarded as one of the most influential legal scholars of his time and a pioneer in the study of English legal history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Maitland
Among Census respondents with the surname Maitland, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.2%. The next largest groups are Black (17.8%) and Hispanic (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Maitland 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 Maitland surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.2% · 2,194
- Black or African American17.8% · 548
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 152
- Two or more races4.3% · 132
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 40
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Maitland
Maitland 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
#9,919
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,256
+166 bearers (+5.4%)
Per 100,000 1.10
Rank movement Down 270 places
2020
#9,994
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,080
-176 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 1.03
Rank movement Down 75 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,649 | 3,090 | 1.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,919 | 3,256 | 1.10 | +166 bearers (+5.4%) | Down 270 places |
| 2020 | #9,994 | 3,080 | 1.03 | -176 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 75 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 Maitland 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 | #9,919 | #9,994 | -0.8% |
| Count | 3,256 | 3,080 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.10 | 1.03 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Maitland bearers went from 3,256 to 3,080 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 75 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,919 to #9,994.
FAQ
Maitland surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Maitland?
Name Census estimates that about 3,532 living Americans carry the surname Maitland. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 97,043 residents.
How common is Maitland?
Maitland ranks #9,994 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.03 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 3,080 people with the surname Maitland. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,532), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.03 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 Maitland.
Has Maitland become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Maitland went from 3,256 recorded bearers to 3,080. That is a decrease of 176 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,919 to #9,994.
What does the Census say about the background of Maitland?
Among Census respondents with the surname Maitland, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.2%. The next largest groups are Black (17.8%) and Hispanic (4.9%). 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 Maitland in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.2% (2,194 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Maitland appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.2%), Black (17.8%), Hispanic (4.9%). 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 Maitland (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 Maitland mean?
From the Scottish place name, likely derived from a combination of Gaelic words meaning "good" and "stream." 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 Maitland (1.03 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 share the surname Maitland?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.