2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Makas
A surname believed to originate from Makassar, an Indonesian region.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Makas. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Makas 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.
Bearers in the US
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Makas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Makas, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Makas
The surname MAKAS is of Lithuanian origin, with roots dating back to the 15th century. It is believed to have originated from the Lithuanian word "makas," which means "poppy seed." This suggests that the name may have been given to individuals who cultivated or worked with poppies.
In the early 16th century, the name MAKAS was documented in various historical records and manuscripts from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. One notable reference can be found in the Lithuanian Metrica, a collection of official documents from the 15th to 18th centuries, where the name appears in connection with land ownership and taxation records.
The earliest recorded example of the name MAKAS is found in the birth records of Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, from the year 1512. Here, a man named Mykolas MAKAS is listed as the father of a newborn child. This entry provides valuable insight into the existence and use of the surname during that period.
Throughout history, several individuals bearing the surname MAKAS have made notable contributions. One such person was Antanas MAKAS (1736-1817), a Lithuanian composer and organist who played a significant role in the development of Lithuanian sacred music during the late 18th century.
Another prominent figure was Juozas MAKAS (1819-1871), a Lithuanian poet, and writer who played a crucial role in the Lithuanian National Revival movement. His works, which often focused on themes of Lithuanian identity and culture, were widely influential during his lifetime.
In the realm of politics, Jonas MAKAS (1872-1938) was a Lithuanian diplomat and politician who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania from 1925 to 1926. His contributions to the country's international relations and diplomacy during the interwar period were significant.
Historically, the surname MAKAS was also associated with various place names and locations within Lithuania. For instance, the village of Makauskai, located in the Kaunas region, is believed to have derived its name from individuals bearing the MAKAS surname who settled in the area.
Towards the end of the 19th century, the spelling of the surname sometimes appeared as "MAKOS" in certain records, reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions at the time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Makas
Among Census respondents with the surname Makas, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Makas 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 Makas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.1% · 101
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Makas
Makas 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
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-8 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 19,187 places
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
+3 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 6,793 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | -8 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 19,187 places |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | +3 bearers (+3.0%) | Up 6,793 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 Makas 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 | #160,975 | #154,182 | 4.2% |
| Count | 100 | 103 | 3.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 14.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Makas bearers went from 100 to 103 (+3.0% change). The surname moved up 6,793 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #154,182.
FAQ
Makas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Makas?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Makas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Makas?
Makas ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 103 people with the surname Makas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Makas.
Has Makas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Makas went from 100 recorded bearers to 103. That is an increase of 3 (+3.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Makas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Makas, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Makas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.1% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Makas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.1%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Makas (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 Makas mean?
A surname believed to originate from Makassar, an Indonesian region. 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 Makas (0.03 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 have the last name Makas?
See how many people have the last name Makas on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.