2000
#7,170
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,292
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.59
Rare Last name
Maple
An English topographic surname for someone who lived near a maple tree or in a maple forest.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,997 Americans carry the last name Maple. That puts it at #7,377 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.46 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 68,592 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Maple 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 Maple with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.0K
1 in 68,592
Census rank
#7,377
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,358 bearers of the surname Maple in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.46 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7377th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Maple, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.4%. The next largest groups are Black (18.7%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Maple
The surname Maple originated in England and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is a locational name derived from the Old English words "mapol" or "mapul," meaning a maple tree. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a significant maple tree or in an area where maple trees were abundant.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Maple can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1191, where it appears as "Mapel." This suggests that the name was already established in the region by the late 12th century.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as "Mapel" and "Mapele," reflecting the variations in spelling common during that period. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 mention a Richard Mapele from Oxfordshire, indicating the name's presence in that county.
During the 14th century, the surname Maple began to appear more frequently in historical records. The Poll Tax Returns of 1379 list a John Mapull from Yorkshire, while the Subsidy Rolls of 1381 record a Thomas Mapel from Cambridgeshire.
Notable individuals with the surname Maple throughout history include John Maple (c. 1500-1578), an English Protestant clergyman and scholar who served as the Archdeacon of Lewes. Another prominent figure was Sir John Maple (1610-1677), an English landowner and Member of Parliament from Derbyshire.
In the 17th century, the name Maple was found in various parts of England, with records showing individuals such as Christopher Maple (1622-1688), a wealthy merchant and Member of Parliament from London, and Thomas Maple (1630-1685), a Church of England cleric and author from Buckinghamshire.
During the 18th century, the name Maple continued to be associated with notable individuals, including John Maple (1731-1798), a British naval officer who served in the American Revolutionary War, and John Maple (1760-1840), an English painter and engraver known for his landscape paintings.
Throughout the 19th century, the surname Maple was carried by individuals such as James Maple (1795-1869), an English architect responsible for designing several churches and public buildings in Yorkshire, and John Maple (1846-1903), a British businessman and philanthropist who founded the Maple & Co. furniture company.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Maple
Among Census respondents with the surname Maple, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.4%. The next largest groups are Black (18.7%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Maple 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 Maple surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.4% · 3,154
- Black or African American18.7% · 815
- Two or more races4.6% · 199
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 110
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 51
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 29
Timeline
Historical Census data for Maple
Maple 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
#7,268
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,585
+293 bearers (+6.8%)
Per 100,000 1.55
Rank movement Down 98 places
2020
#7,377
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,358
-227 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 1.46
Rank movement Down 109 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,170 | 4,292 | 1.59 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,268 | 4,585 | 1.55 | +293 bearers (+6.8%) | Down 98 places |
| 2020 | #7,377 | 4,358 | 1.46 | -227 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 109 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 Maple 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 | #7,268 | #7,377 | -1.5% |
| Count | 4,585 | 4,358 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.55 | 1.46 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Maple bearers went from 4,585 to 4,358 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 109 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,268 to #7,377.
FAQ
Maple surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Maple?
Name Census estimates that about 4,997 living Americans carry the surname Maple. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 68,592 residents.
How common is Maple?
Maple ranks #7,377 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.46 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,358 people with the surname Maple. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,997), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.46 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.46 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Maple.
Has Maple become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Maple went from 4,585 recorded bearers to 4,358. That is a decrease of 227 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,268 to #7,377.
What does the Census say about the background of Maple?
Among Census respondents with the surname Maple, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.4%. The next largest groups are Black (18.7%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Maple in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.4% (3,154 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Maple appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.4%), Black (18.7%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Maple (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 Maple mean?
An English topographic surname for someone who lived near a maple tree or in a maple forest. 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 Maple (1.46 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 Maple?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Maple, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.