Find out how popular the last name Maven is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Maven.

Maven, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Maven surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Maven in America

Maven is the 158432nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Maven surname appeared 102 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Maven.

We can also compare 2010 data for Maven to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Maven

The surname Maven originated in the German region of Bavaria during the 16th century. It is derived from the Old High German word "mavari," which means "gossip" or "garrulous person." This name was likely given as a descriptive nickname to someone who was known for their talkative nature or perhaps even someone who spread rumors.

The earliest recorded instance of the surname Maven dates back to 1542 in the town of Nuremberg, where a man named Hans Maven was listed in the local tax records. Another early reference can be found in the 1587 baptismal records of the village of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, which mentions a child named Anna Maven.

In the 17th century, the surname Maven began to spread beyond Bavaria to other parts of Germany. One notable bearer of the name was Johann Jakob Maven (1652-1718), a Lutheran pastor and theologian from Saxony who published several works on biblical exegesis.

As the surname Maven became more widespread, it also saw variations in spelling, including Mafen, Maffern, and Maffen. These different spellings can be found in various historical records throughout Germany, such as church registers and census documents.

In the 19th century, the surname Maven began to appear in other parts of Europe as well. One notable bearer of the name was the Russian writer and philosopher, Nikolai Maven (1818-1889), who was known for his works on moral philosophy and ethics.

Other notable individuals throughout history with the surname Maven include:

1. Heinrich Maven (1789-1863), a German linguist and philologist who made significant contributions to the study of Indo-European languages.

2. Anna Maven (1865-1937), an Austrian painter and printmaker known for her landscapes and portraits.

3. Wilhelm Maven (1876-1955), a German architect who designed several notable buildings in Berlin during the early 20th century.

4. Gertrude Maven (1901-1983), a British author and playwright who wrote several successful novels and plays during the mid-20th century.

5. Karl Maven (1928-2005), a Swiss physicist and Nobel laureate who made significant contributions to the field of quantum mechanics.

While the surname Maven may have originated as a descriptive nickname, it has since become a well-established surname with a rich history and a diverse range of notable bearers from various fields and backgrounds.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Maven

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Maven.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Maven was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Maven has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Maven was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Maven, please contact us.

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