2000
#6,791
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,577
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.70
Rare Last name
Maxson
An English surname derived from the given name Max, a shortened form of Maximilian, meaning "greatest".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,172 Americans carry the last name Maxson. That puts it at #7,137 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.51 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 66,271 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Maxson 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
5.2K
1 in 66,271
Census rank
#7,137
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,510 bearers of the surname Maxson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.51 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7137th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Maxson, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Maxson
The surname Maxson is of English origin, with roots tracing back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated from the personal name "Maxon," which itself is a diminutive form of the name "Maximilian." This name derived from the Latin "maximus," meaning "greatest."
The earliest recorded instances of the Maxson surname can be found in historical records from the county of Yorkshire in Northern England. One of the earliest known bearers of this name was William Maxson, who was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1218. These rolls were financial records kept by the Crown during the reign of King Henry III.
Over the centuries, variations in the spelling of the name emerged, including Maxon, Maxsonne, and Maxsun. These variants were often influenced by regional dialects and the preferences of scribes who recorded the name in official documents.
The Maxson surname has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest was Sir John Maxson, a Member of Parliament for the borough of Southwark in the late 15th century. Another prominent figure was Captain Thomas Maxson, an English naval officer who served during the Anglo-Dutch Wars of the 17th century.
In the literary realm, the Maxson name is linked to the American writer and critic Maxwell Bodenheim (1892-1954), whose given name was a variant of the surname. Bodenheim was a significant figure in the Modernist movement and was known for his experimental poetry and prose.
The name Maxson has also been associated with places and locations. For instance, the village of Maxson in Nottinghamshire, England, is believed to have derived its name from an early bearer of the Maxson surname who may have been a landowner or influential figure in the area.
Over the centuries, the Maxson surname has spread beyond its English origins, with bearers found in various parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia. However, its earliest roots can be traced back to the historic counties of Northern England, where it first emerged as a distinctive family name during the Middle Ages.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Maxson
Among Census respondents with the surname Maxson, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Maxson 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 Maxson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.7% · 3,911
- Two or more races4.2% · 188
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 174
- Black or African American3.4% · 152
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 44
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 41
Timeline
Historical Census data for Maxson
Maxson 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
#7,287
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,573
-4 bearers (-0.1%)
Per 100,000 1.55
Rank movement Down 496 places
2020
#7,137
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,510
-63 bearers (-1.4%)
Per 100,000 1.51
Rank movement Up 150 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,791 | 4,577 | 1.70 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,287 | 4,573 | 1.55 | -4 bearers (-0.1%) | Down 496 places |
| 2020 | #7,137 | 4,510 | 1.51 | -63 bearers (-1.4%) | Up 150 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 Maxson 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 | #7,287 | #7,137 | 2.1% |
| Count | 4,573 | 4,510 | -1.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.55 | 1.51 | -2.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Maxson bearers went from 4,573 to 4,510 (-1.4% change). The surname moved up 150 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,287 to #7,137.
FAQ
Maxson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Maxson?
Name Census estimates that about 5,172 living Americans carry the surname Maxson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 66,271 residents.
How common is Maxson?
Maxson ranks #7,137 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.51 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 4,510 people with the surname Maxson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,172), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.51 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.51 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 Maxson.
Has Maxson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Maxson went from 4,573 recorded bearers to 4,510. That is a decrease of 63 (-1.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,287 to #7,137.
What does the Census say about the background of Maxson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Maxson, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Maxson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.7% (3,911 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Maxson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.7%), Two or More Races (4.2%), Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Maxson (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 Maxson mean?
An English surname derived from the given name Max, a shortened form of Maximilian, meaning "greatest". 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 Maxson (1.51 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 share the surname Maxson?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.