2000
#15,473
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,737
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.64
Rare Last name
Maust
A topographic surname referring to someone living near a marsh or bog.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,066 Americans carry the last name Maust. That puts it at #15,607 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 165,902 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Maust 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.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 165,902
Census rank
#15,607
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,802 bearers of the surname Maust in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15607th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Maust, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Maust
The surname MAUST has its origins in the German language and can be traced back to the 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the old German word "maust," which referred to a vineyard or a place where grapes were grown and wine was produced.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the MAUST surname can be found in the historical records of the town of Worms, located in the Rhineland-Palatinate region of Germany. In a document dated 1387, a certain "Hans Maust" is mentioned as a landowner and vineyard operator.
During the medieval period, the MAUST name was primarily associated with the wine-making regions of southwestern Germany, particularly in the areas surrounding the Rhine and Moselle rivers. It is likely that many early bearers of this surname were involved in the cultivation of grapes or the production of wine.
In the 16th century, the MAUST name appeared in the records of the city of Ulm, located in the state of Baden-Württemberg. In 1542, a merchant named "Jakob Maust" is recorded as having traded in wine and other goods throughout the region.
Notable individuals with the MAUST surname include Johann Maust (1601-1679), a prominent theologian and author from Strasbourg, who wrote extensively on religious topics during the Protestant Reformation. Another notable figure was Katharina Maust (1745-1821), a renowned herbalist and healer from the town of Heidelberg, whose knowledge of medicinal plants was widely respected.
In the 18th century, the MAUST surname spread beyond the borders of Germany, with some bearers of the name immigrating to other parts of Europe and eventually to the Americas. Johann Georg Maust (1723-1802), a farmer from the Palatinate region, is recorded as having settled in Pennsylvania in the 1760s, establishing one of the earliest MAUST family lines in the United States.
Other notable individuals with the MAUST surname include Hans Maust (1879-1954), a German painter and artist known for his landscapes and portraiture, and Elise Maust (1892-1976), a Swiss novelist and playwright who gained recognition for her works exploring themes of relationships and societal norms.
Throughout its history, the MAUST surname has retained its association with the wine-making regions of Germany, reflecting the agricultural and viticultural roots of its earliest bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Maust
Among Census respondents with the surname Maust, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Maust 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 Maust surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 1,681
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 54
- Two or more races2.4% · 44
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 14
- Black or African American0.3% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Maust
Maust 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
#15,985
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,816
+79 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Down 512 places
2020
#15,607
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,802
-14 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Up 378 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,473 | 1,737 | 0.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,985 | 1,816 | 0.62 | +79 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 512 places |
| 2020 | #15,607 | 1,802 | 0.60 | -14 bearers (-0.8%) | Up 378 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 Maust 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 | #15,985 | #15,607 | 2.4% |
| Count | 1,816 | 1,802 | -0.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.62 | 0.60 | -2.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Maust bearers went from 1,816 to 1,802 (-0.8% change). The surname moved up 378 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,985 to #15,607.
FAQ
Maust surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Maust?
Name Census estimates that about 2,066 living Americans carry the surname Maust. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 165,902 residents.
How common is Maust?
Maust ranks #15,607 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.60 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 1,802 people with the surname Maust. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,066), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.60 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 Maust.
Has Maust become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Maust went from 1,816 recorded bearers to 1,802. That is a decrease of 14 (-0.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,985 to #15,607.
What does the Census say about the background of Maust?
Among Census respondents with the surname Maust, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Maust in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (1,681 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Maust appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Hispanic (3.0%), 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 Maust (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 Maust mean?
A topographic surname referring to someone living near a marsh or bog. 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 Maust (0.60 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 Maust?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.