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

Mao, 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 Mao surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Mao in America

Mao is the 6153rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Mao surname appeared 5,565 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Mao.

We can also compare 2010 data for Mao 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 Mao

The surname Mao originated in China, with records indicating its use dating back to the 4th century AD during the Eastern Jin Dynasty. This name is believed to be derived from the ancient Chinese word "mao," which means "hair" or "fur." It may have originally referred to someone with a distinctive hairstyle or perhaps a person who worked with animal fur or hair.

One of the earliest known references to the name Mao can be found in the historical text "Book of Jin," which documents the lives of prominent figures during the Jin Dynasty. This work mentions a scholar and calligrapher named Mao Xing, who lived from 334 to 398 AD and was renowned for his exceptional penmanship and literary contributions.

During the Tang Dynasty, which ruled from 618 to 907 AD, the Mao surname gained prominence in various regions of China, particularly in the areas now known as Henan, Shandong, and Anhui provinces. Records from this period show several notable individuals bearing the Mao name, including the poet Mao Ying (625-705 AD) and the military strategist Mao Sui (589-644 AD).

In the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD), the Mao surname was well-established in the region of Shandong, where a prominent branch of the family resided in the city of Linzi (now part of Zibo). One of the most famous individuals from this era was the scholar and philosopher Mao Qiling (1090-1155 AD), who made significant contributions to the Neo-Confucian movement.

During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD), the Mao surname continued to be well-represented among the scholarly and literary elite. One notable figure was Mao Jin (1599-1659 AD), a renowned playwright and author who wrote several influential works, including the play "The Peony Pavilion."

In more recent history, the most famous individual bearing the Mao surname is undoubtedly Mao Zedong (1893-1976 AD), the founding leader of the People's Republic of China and a pivotal figure in the Chinese Communist Revolution. Other notable individuals with the Mao surname include the writer and activist Mao Dun (1896-1981 AD) and the contemporary artist Mao Xuhui (born 1956).

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Mao

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

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

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

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