2000
#3,134
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,559
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.91
Uncommon Last name
Maples
An English toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a maple tree or a maple forest.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,366 Americans carry the last name Maples. That puts it at #3,507 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.32 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 30,156 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Maples 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 Maples with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 30,156
Census rank
#3,507
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.9K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,912 bearers of the surname Maples in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.32 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3507th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Maples, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Black (5.8%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Maples
The surname Maples originated in England and is a locational name derived from the Old English word 'mapol', meaning maple tree. It is believed to have been first adopted by families residing near a prominent maple tree or in an area abundant with maple trees.
The earliest recorded instance of the name dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as 'Mapeldene', referring to a place in Norfolk. This suggests that the surname was already in use by the late 11th century.
During the Middle Ages, the name was often spelled in various ways, such as Mapel, Mapull, and Mapulle, reflecting the regional dialects and variations in spelling conventions at the time.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname was Richard de Mapuldurwelle, recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire in 1194. The name likely refers to Mapledurwell, a village in Hampshire.
In the 13th century, the Maples family established themselves as landowners in Leicestershire and Warwickshire. One notable figure was John Maples (c. 1280 - c. 1350), a wealthy merchant and alderman in the city of Coventry.
During the English Civil War (1642-1651), Captain Thomas Maples (1620-1679) served as a Parliamentarian officer and was later appointed as the Governor of Warwick Castle.
Another prominent individual was Sir John Maples (1645-1723), a Member of Parliament for Warwickshire and a staunch supporter of the Glorious Revolution of 1688. He played a significant role in securing the accession of William III and Mary II to the English throne.
In the 19th century, Chauncy Maples (1808-1892) was a renowned English landowner and banker. He served as the High Sheriff of Warwickshire in 1845 and was known for his philanthropic efforts, including the establishment of a school in Coleshill.
One of the most famous bearers of the name was Sir Stanley Maples (1910-1996), a British aviator and pioneering test pilot. He set numerous aviation records and was awarded the Air Force Cross for his contributions to the development of aircraft during World War II.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Maples
Among Census respondents with the surname Maples, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Black (5.8%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Maples 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 Maples surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.5% · 8,477
- Black or African American5.8% · 571
- Two or more races4.4% · 441
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 287
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 74
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 62
Timeline
Historical Census data for Maples
Maples 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
#3,367
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,603
+44 bearers (+0.4%)
Per 100,000 3.59
Rank movement Down 233 places
2020
#3,507
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,912
-691 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 3.32
Rank movement Down 140 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,134 | 10,559 | 3.91 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,367 | 10,603 | 3.59 | +44 bearers (+0.4%) | Down 233 places |
| 2020 | #3,507 | 9,912 | 3.32 | -691 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 140 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 Maples 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 | #3,367 | #3,507 | -4.2% |
| Count | 10,603 | 9,912 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 3.59 | 3.32 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Maples bearers went from 10,603 to 9,912 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 140 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,367 to #3,507.
FAQ
Maples surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Maples?
Name Census estimates that about 11,366 living Americans carry the surname Maples. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 30,156 residents.
How common is Maples?
Maples ranks #3,507 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.32 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 9,912 people with the surname Maples. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,366), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.32 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.32 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 Maples.
Has Maples become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Maples went from 10,603 recorded bearers to 9,912. That is a decrease of 691 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,367 to #3,507.
What does the Census say about the background of Maples?
Among Census respondents with the surname Maples, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Black (5.8%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Maples in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.5% (8,477 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Maples appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.5%), Black (5.8%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Maples (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 Maples mean?
An English toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a maple tree or 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 Maples (3.32 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 surname Maples?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.