2000
#43,708
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 465
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.17
Very Rare Last name
Mayall
An English surname derived from a medieval personal name meaning "maverick" or "misfit".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 522 Americans carry the last name Mayall. That puts it at #49,823 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 656,618 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mayall 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Mayall with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
522
1 in 656,618
Census rank
#49,823
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
455
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 455 bearers of the surname Mayall in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 49823rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mayall, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.6%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mayall
The surname Mayall originates from England and dates back to the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "mæg" meaning kinsman or relative, and "healh" meaning a corner or secluded place. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a relative living in a remote or secluded area.
The earliest recorded instances of the Mayall surname can be found in historical records from Worcestershire and Gloucestershire in the 13th and 14th centuries. The name appears in various spellings, such as Meyall, Mayell, and Mayhill, reflecting the variations in spelling and pronunciation during that time.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conquer, there are entries that may be related to the Mayall name, although the exact spelling varies. For example, there are references to individuals named Maiel and Maihel, which could be early variations of the surname.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the Mayall surname was Robert Mayall, who was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327. Another notable figure was John Mayall, a prominent landowner in Gloucestershire during the 15th century.
In the 16th century, the Mayall family established a presence in the village of Bromsgrove, Worcestershire. One of the most famous individuals with this surname was Richard Mayall, a scholar and clergyman who lived from 1612 to 1678. He served as a chaplain to King Charles I and later became the Bishop of Hereford.
During the 18th century, the Mayall surname gained prominence in the literary world with the birth of John Mayall (1730-1810), an English poet and writer. His works included poems, plays, and translations of ancient Greek and Latin texts.
Another notable figure was Edward Mayall (1810-1901), a pioneering photographer who is credited with popularizing the carte-de-visite format of photography in the 19th century. His studio in London became a popular destination for notable figures of the time, and he captured portraits of many famous individuals, including Queen Victoria and Charles Dickens.
Throughout history, the Mayall surname has been associated with various place names in England, such as Mayall Green in Worcestershire and Mayall Hill in Gloucestershire, reflecting the family's long-standing connections to these regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mayall
Among Census respondents with the surname Mayall, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.6%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Mayall 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 Mayall surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.1% · 401
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.6% · 21
- Two or more races3.1% · 14
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 5
- Black or African American0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mayall
Mayall 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
#44,957
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 477
+12 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.16
Rank movement Down 1,249 places
2020
#49,823
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 455
-22 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.15
Rank movement Down 4,866 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #43,708 | 465 | 0.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #44,957 | 477 | 0.16 | +12 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 1,249 places |
| 2020 | #49,823 | 455 | 0.15 | -22 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 4,866 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 Mayall 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 | #44,957 | #49,823 | -10.8% |
| Count | 477 | 455 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.16 | 0.15 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mayall bearers went from 477 to 455 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 4,866 positions in the national ranking, going from #44,957 to #49,823.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mayall
FAQ
Mayall surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mayall?
Name Census estimates that about 522 living Americans carry the surname Mayall. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 656,618 residents.
How common is Mayall?
Mayall ranks #49,823 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.15 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 455 people with the surname Mayall. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (522), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.15 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 Mayall.
Has Mayall become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mayall went from 477 recorded bearers to 455. That is a decrease of 22 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #44,957 to #49,823.
What does the Census say about the background of Mayall?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mayall, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.6%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Mayall in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.1% (401 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mayall appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.6%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Mayall (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 Mayall mean?
An English surname derived from a medieval personal name meaning "maverick" or "misfit". 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 Mayall (0.15 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 Americans have the surname Mayall?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.