2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Maven
A surname derived from the Yiddish word "moyvn," meaning expert or connoisseur.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Maven. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Maven 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Maven in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Maven, the largest self-reported group is Black at 60.3%. The next largest groups are White (21.5%) and Two or More Races (14.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Maven
Among Census respondents with the surname Maven, the largest self-reported group is Black at 60.3%. The next largest groups are White (21.5%) and Two or More Races (14.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Maven 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 Maven surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American60.3% · 73
- White21.5% · 26
- Two or more races14.0% · 17
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Maven
Maven 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
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-6 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 16,644 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+19 bearers (+18.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 17,123 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | -6 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 16,644 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +19 bearers (+18.6%) | Up 17,123 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 Maven 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 | #158,432 | #141,309 | 10.8% |
| Count | 102 | 121 | 18.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 34.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Maven bearers went from 102 to 121 (+18.6% change). The surname moved up 17,123 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #141,309.
FAQ
Maven surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Maven?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Maven. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Maven?
Maven ranks #141,309 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 121 people with the surname Maven. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Maven.
Has Maven become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Maven went from 102 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 19 (+18.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Maven?
Among Census respondents with the surname Maven, the largest self-reported group is Black at 60.3%. The next largest groups are White (21.5%) and Two or More Races (14.0%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Maven in the 2020 Census, accounting for 60.3% (73 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Maven appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (60.3%), White (21.5%), Two or More Races (14.0%). 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 Maven (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 Maven mean?
A surname derived from the Yiddish word "moyvn," meaning expert or connoisseur. 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 Maven (0.04 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 Maven?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Maven is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.