2000
#7,915
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,880
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.44
Rare Last name
Maria
Derived from the given name Maria, ultimately from the Hebrew name Miriam, meaning "rebellious" or "obstinate."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,427 Americans carry the last name Maria. That puts it at #6,838 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 63,157 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Maria 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 Maria with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.4K
1 in 63,157
Census rank
#6,838
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,733 bearers of the surname Maria in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6838th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Maria, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 64.9%. The next largest groups are White (23.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Maria
The surname Maria is of Latin origin and can be traced back to ancient Rome. It is derived from the Latin word "mare," meaning "sea." The name likely originated as a nickname or descriptive name for someone who lived near the sea or worked as a sailor or fisherman.
In ancient Roman records, the name Maria appeared as a cognomen or third name, often given to individuals with a connection to the sea or maritime activities. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the writings of the Roman historian Suetonius, who mentions a nobleman named Gaius Julius Maria who lived during the 1st century AD.
During the Middle Ages, the name Maria gained popularity in regions along the Mediterranean coast, particularly in Italy and Spain. It was often used as a surname for families residing in coastal towns or villages. In the 13th century, records from the Republic of Venice mention a prominent merchant family with the surname Maria.
As the name spread throughout Europe, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Marias, Mariah, and Marya. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in England can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which lists a landowner named Richard Maria in the county of Norfolk.
Notable individuals with the surname Maria throughout history include:
1. Giovanni Maria (c. 1490-1547), an Italian Renaissance architect and engineer known for his work on the Basilica of St. Peter in Rome.
2. Francisco de Maria (c. 1625-1688), a Spanish Baroque painter and etcher from Valencia.
3. Antonio Maria Valsalva (1666-1723), an Italian anatomist and physician best known for the Valsalva maneuver used in medical examinations.
4. Johann Matthias Maria von Rottmann (1654-1730), a German Catholic theologian and philosopher.
5. Maria Gaetana Agnesi (1718-1799), an Italian mathematician, philosopher, and theologian, considered one of the pioneers of the study of differential and integral calculus.
While the surname Maria has been widely dispersed across various regions, its origins can be traced back to ancient Rome and the Latin word "mare," reflecting a connection to the sea or maritime pursuits.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Maria
Among Census respondents with the surname Maria, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 64.9%. The next largest groups are White (23.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Maria 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 Maria surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino64.9% · 3,071
- White23.1% · 1,094
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.4% · 210
- Black or African American3.2% · 152
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.6% · 125
- Two or more races1.7% · 81
Timeline
Historical Census data for Maria
Maria 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
#7,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,500
+620 bearers (+16.0%)
Per 100,000 1.53
Rank movement Up 520 places
2020
#6,838
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,733
+233 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 1.58
Rank movement Up 557 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,915 | 3,880 | 1.44 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,395 | 4,500 | 1.53 | +620 bearers (+16.0%) | Up 520 places |
| 2020 | #6,838 | 4,733 | 1.58 | +233 bearers (+5.2%) | Up 557 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 Maria 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 | #7,395 | #6,838 | 7.5% |
| Count | 4,500 | 4,733 | 5.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.53 | 1.58 | 3.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Maria bearers went from 4,500 to 4,733 (+5.2% change). The surname moved up 557 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,395 to #6,838.
FAQ
Maria surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Maria?
Name Census estimates that about 5,427 living Americans carry the surname Maria. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 63,157 residents.
How common is Maria?
Maria ranks #6,838 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.58 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,733 people with the surname Maria. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,427), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.58 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Maria.
Has Maria become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Maria went from 4,500 recorded bearers to 4,733. That is an increase of 233 (+5.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,395 to #6,838.
What does the Census say about the background of Maria?
Among Census respondents with the surname Maria, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 64.9%. The next largest groups are White (23.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Maria in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.9% (3,071 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Maria appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (64.9%), White (23.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Maria (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 Maria mean?
Derived from the given name Maria, ultimately from the Hebrew name Miriam, meaning "rebellious" or "obstinate." 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 Maria (1.58 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 Americans have the surname Maria?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.