2000
#7,578
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,047
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.50
Rare Last name
Mao
A Chinese surname meaning "hair" or "feather," originally referring to a person's physical characteristics or occupation involving fur or feathers.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,592 Americans carry the last name Mao. That puts it at #4,588 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.51 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 39,892 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mao 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 Mao with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.6K
1 in 39,892
Census rank
#4,588
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,493 bearers of the surname Mao in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.51 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4588th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mao, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.1%. The next largest groups are White (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mao
Among Census respondents with the surname Mao, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.1%. The next largest groups are White (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Mao 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 Mao surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander93.1% · 6,978
- White2.7% · 199
- Two or more races2.4% · 181
- Black or African American0.9% · 70
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 63
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mao
Mao 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
#6,153
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,565
+1,518 bearers (+37.5%)
Per 100,000 1.89
Rank movement Up 1,425 places
2020
#4,588
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,493
+1,928 bearers (+34.6%)
Per 100,000 2.51
Rank movement Up 1,565 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,578 | 4,047 | 1.50 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,153 | 5,565 | 1.89 | +1,518 bearers (+37.5%) | Up 1,425 places |
| 2020 | #4,588 | 7,493 | 2.51 | +1,928 bearers (+34.6%) | Up 1,565 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 Mao 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 | #6,153 | #4,588 | 25.4% |
| Count | 5,565 | 7,493 | 34.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.89 | 2.51 | 32.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mao bearers went from 5,565 to 7,493 (+34.6% change). The surname moved up 1,565 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,153 to #4,588.
FAQ
Mao surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mao?
Name Census estimates that about 8,592 living Americans carry the surname Mao. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 39,892 residents.
How common is Mao?
Mao ranks #4,588 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.51 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,493 people with the surname Mao. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,592), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.51 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.51 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Mao.
Has Mao become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mao went from 5,565 recorded bearers to 7,493. That is an increase of 1,928 (+34.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,153 to #4,588.
What does the Census say about the background of Mao?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mao, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.1%. The next largest groups are White (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mao in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (6,978 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mao appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (93.1%), White (2.7%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Mao (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 Mao mean?
A Chinese surname meaning "hair" or "feather," originally referring to a person's physical characteristics or occupation involving fur or feathers. 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 Mao (2.51 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 Mao?
Want to know how many people have the surname Mao? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.