2000
#127,948
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Mamakos
A Greek surname derived from the Greek word "mamakos," meaning maternal uncle or mother's brother.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Mamakos. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mamakos 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Mamakos in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mamakos, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mamakos
The surname MAMAKOS is of Greek origin, originating from the Greek island of Crete during the Byzantine era. It is derived from the Greek words "mama" meaning grandmother and "akos" meaning bald or hairless, suggesting it may have originally referred to a maternal grandmother who was bald or had little hair.
The earliest known record of the MAMAKOS name dates back to the 13th century, where it appears in a manuscript documenting land ownership in the village of Archanes, near the city of Heraklion in Crete. Over the centuries, variations in spelling emerged, including MAMAKOS, MAMAKUS, and MAMAKKOS.
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the MAMAKOS name was Georgios MAMAKOS, a Cretan merchant and seafarer who was involved in trade between Crete and the Venetian Republic. His travels and business dealings are documented in various Venetian archives from that period.
During the Ottoman rule of Crete in the 17th century, the MAMAKOS family is mentioned in records related to land disputes and tax records, indicating their presence and influence in the region at the time.
In the late 18th century, Ioannis MAMAKOS (1752-1832) was a prominent figure in the Greek struggle for independence from Ottoman rule. A native of the village of Arkalochori in Crete, he was a respected military leader and played a crucial role in several battles against the Ottoman forces.
Another noteworthy individual with the MAMAKOS surname was Nikolaos MAMAKOS (1870-1946), a Greek politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Greece in the early 20th century. He was instrumental in shaping Greece's foreign policy during a turbulent period in its history.
In more recent times, Eleni MAMAKOS (1920-2008) was a renowned Greek author and poet, celebrated for her contributions to modern Greek literature. Her works often explored themes of identity, love, and the human condition, drawing inspiration from her upbringing in Crete.
While the MAMAKOS surname originates from the Greek island of Crete, it has since been carried by Greek diaspora communities around the world, with bearers of the name found in various countries, particularly those with significant Greek populations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mamakos
Among Census respondents with the surname Mamakos, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Mamakos 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 Mamakos surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 100
- Two or more races4.6% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mamakos
Mamakos 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
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-3 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,280 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-11 bearers (-9.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,977 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,948 | 123 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.4%) | Down 11,280 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-9.2%) | Down 10,977 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 Mamakos 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 | #139,228 | #150,205 | -7.9% |
| Count | 120 | 109 | -9.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mamakos bearers went from 120 to 109 (-9.2% change). The surname moved down 10,977 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #150,205.
FAQ
Mamakos surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mamakos?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Mamakos. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Mamakos?
Mamakos ranks #150,205 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 109 people with the surname Mamakos. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Mamakos.
Has Mamakos become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mamakos went from 120 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 11 (-9.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Mamakos?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mamakos, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Mamakos in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mamakos appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Two or More Races (4.6%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Mamakos (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 Mamakos mean?
A Greek surname derived from the Greek word "mamakos," meaning maternal uncle or mother's brother. 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 Mamakos (0.04 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 common is the surname Mamakos?
Want to know how common the surname Mamakos is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.