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

Majors, 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 Majors surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Majors in America

Majors is the 3650th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Majors surname appeared 9,747 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Majors.

We can also compare 2010 data for Majors 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 Majors

The surname Majors is of English origin, derived from the Old French word "maior," which means "greater" or "superior." It is believed that the name first emerged in the 12th century as a descriptive name for someone who held a position of authority or rank, such as a mayor or a magistrate.

In the early 13th century, the name Majors appeared in several historical records, including the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire and the Curia Regis Rolls of Yorkshire. These records provide some of the earliest documented instances of the name being used.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name Majors was Robert le Maire, who was mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273. Another early example is William le Mair, who was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327.

The name Majors is also linked to various place names across England, such as Mair's Green in Buckinghamshire and Major's Close in Gloucestershire. These place names likely originated from people with the surname Majors who lived or owned land in those areas.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Majors. One of the most famous was John Majors (1634-1699), an English composer and violinist who served as a court musician to King Charles II and King James II.

Another prominent figure was Richard Majors (1663-1719), an English clergyman and author who wrote several works on theology and biblical studies. He served as the rector of Twickenham and the vicar of Shepperton in Middlesex.

In the United States, one of the earliest recorded bearers of the name Majors was John Majors (1714-1794), a British-born American planter and politician who served as a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses and the Virginia Convention.

Charles Majors (1812-1891) was a prominent American pioneer and entrepreneur who played a significant role in the development of the overland mail and freight routes across the American West during the mid-19th century.

More recently, Sir John Majors (born 1943) served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1990 to 1997, leading the Conservative Party during a turbulent period of British political history.

These are just a few examples of the many individuals throughout history who have carried the distinguished surname Majors, which has its roots in the Old French language and reflects a position of authority or rank.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Majors

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!