2010
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Mayak
A Russian surname potentially related to the word for "lighthouse" or "beacon".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Mayak. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mayak 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Mayak in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mayak, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (5.9%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mayak
The surname "MAYAK" is believed to have originated in Russia during the 15th century. It is derived from the Russian word "mayak," which means "lighthouse" or "beacon." This suggests that the name may have been associated with individuals who lived near a lighthouse or worked in the maritime industry.
The earliest known record of the surname "MAYAK" can be found in the Veliky Novgorod archives, which date back to the late 15th century. These archives mention a merchant named Ivan Mayak, who was involved in trade with the Hanseatic League.
In the 16th century, the name "MAYAK" appeared in the Muscovite tax records, indicating that families with this surname were present in various regions of the Grand Duchy of Moscow. One notable example is Fyodor Mayak, a landowner from the Ryazan region, who was mentioned in the cadastral books of 1592.
During the 17th century, the "MAYAK" surname spread across different parts of the Russian Empire. In the city of Arkhangelsk, there was a prominent merchant family named Mayak, who were engaged in the lucrative trade of Arctic furs and fish.
In the 18th century, a man named Grigory Mayak (1720-1790) gained recognition as a skilled shipbuilder in the city of Saint Petersburg. He was responsible for constructing several vessels for the Imperial Russian Navy.
Another notable figure with the "MAYAK" surname was Yakov Mayak (1825-1901), a Russian writer and journalist who published several works on Russian history and culture. He was also a member of the Russian Geographical Society and contributed to the exploration of Siberia.
In the 19th century, the "MAYAK" surname was found in various regions of the Russian Empire, including the Volga region, the Urals, and Siberia. One prominent individual was Mikhail Mayak (1860-1925), a successful businessman and philanthropist from the city of Perm.
It is worth noting that the surname "MAYAK" may have also been influenced by the presence of lighthouses or beacons in certain geographic locations. For example, there is a village called Mayak in the Arkhangelsk region, which likely derived its name from a nearby lighthouse or navigational aid.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mayak
Among Census respondents with the surname Mayak, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (5.9%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Mayak 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 Mayak surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.8% · 106
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.9% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 3
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mayak
Mayak appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+15 bearers (+14.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 13,723 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +15 bearers (+14.6%) | Up 13,723 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 Mayak 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 | #157,234 | #143,511 | 8.7% |
| Count | 103 | 118 | 14.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 31.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mayak bearers went from 103 to 118 (+14.6% change). The surname moved up 13,723 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #143,511.
FAQ
Mayak surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mayak?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Mayak. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Mayak?
Mayak ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Mayak. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Mayak.
Has Mayak become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mayak went from 103 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 15 (+14.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Mayak?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mayak, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (5.9%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Mayak in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.8% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mayak appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (5.9%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Mayak (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 Mayak mean?
A Russian surname potentially related to the word for "lighthouse" or "beacon". 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 Mayak (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 Mayak?
Find out how many people are called Mayak on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.