2000
#21,307
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,146
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.42
Rare Last name
Mayen
Derived from a place name referring to someone from any of the various towns called Mayen in Germany.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,511 Americans carry the last name Mayen. That puts it at #13,320 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 136,501 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mayen 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
2.5K
1 in 136,501
Census rank
#13,320
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,190 bearers of the surname Mayen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13320th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mayen, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 83.2%. The next largest groups are White (7.9%) and Black (7.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mayen
The surname Mayen is believed to have originated in Germany in the 12th century. It was derived from the Old German word "mei," which meant "May" or "the month of May." The name likely referred to someone born or living in the month of May.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Mayen can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of medieval Saxon documents dating back to the 12th century. In this text, there is a reference to a person named "Meigen" living in the village of Meiningen.
In the 13th century, the name appears in various forms such as "Meyen," "Meigen," and "Meyjen" in various regions of Germany, including Bavaria, Saxony, and the Rhineland. These variations suggest that the name may have originated in multiple areas and evolved independently.
The name Mayen is also linked to several place names in Germany, such as the town of Mayen in the Rhineland-Palatinate region. This town was first mentioned in historical records in the 9th century as "Magenum," which is thought to be derived from the same root as the surname.
Notable individuals with the surname Mayen include Johann Simon Mayr (1763-1845), a renowned German composer and music theorist who made significant contributions to the development of opera in Italy. Another notable figure is Johann Mayen (1590-1638), a Dutch navigator and explorer who led several expeditions to the Arctic regions and discovered the island of Jan Mayen, which was named after him.
In the 16th century, there is a record of a German artist named Hans Mayen (1545-1615) who was known for his intricate woodcuts and engravings. Additionally, in the 19th century, a German philosopher named Robert Mayen (1844-1924) gained recognition for his works on ethics and social philosophy.
The surname Mayen has also been found in various European countries, including France, Belgium, and the Netherlands, likely due to migration and intermarriage over the centuries. However, its origins can be traced back to the German regions and the Old German word "mei."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mayen
Among Census respondents with the surname Mayen, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 83.2%. The next largest groups are White (7.9%) and Black (7.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Mayen 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 Mayen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino83.2% · 1,821
- White7.9% · 173
- Black or African American7.7% · 169
- Two or more races0.7% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mayen
Mayen 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
#15,223
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,934
+788 bearers (+68.8%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Up 6,084 places
2020
#13,320
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,190
+256 bearers (+13.2%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Up 1,903 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #21,307 | 1,146 | 0.42 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,223 | 1,934 | 0.66 | +788 bearers (+68.8%) | Up 6,084 places |
| 2020 | #13,320 | 2,190 | 0.73 | +256 bearers (+13.2%) | Up 1,903 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 Mayen 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 | #15,223 | #13,320 | 12.5% |
| Count | 1,934 | 2,190 | 13.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.66 | 0.73 | 11.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mayen bearers went from 1,934 to 2,190 (+13.2% change). The surname moved up 1,903 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,223 to #13,320.
FAQ
Mayen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mayen?
Name Census estimates that about 2,511 living Americans carry the surname Mayen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 136,501 residents.
How common is Mayen?
Mayen ranks #13,320 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,190 people with the surname Mayen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,511), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.73 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Mayen.
Has Mayen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mayen went from 1,934 recorded bearers to 2,190. That is an increase of 256 (+13.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,223 to #13,320.
What does the Census say about the background of Mayen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mayen, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 83.2%. The next largest groups are White (7.9%) and Black (7.7%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mayen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.2% (1,821 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mayen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (83.2%), White (7.9%), Black (7.7%). 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 Mayen (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 Mayen mean?
Derived from a place name referring to someone from any of the various towns called Mayen in Germany. 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 Mayen (0.73 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 have the surname Mayen?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.