2000
#3,718
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,754
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.25
Uncommon Last name
Mayhew
From an English place name meaning "may hedge," referring to a boundary hedge that flowered in May.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,046 Americans carry the last name Mayhew. That puts it at #3,932 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.93 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 34,118 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mayhew 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 Mayhew with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
10K
1 in 34,118
Census rank
#3,932
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.8K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,761 bearers of the surname Mayhew in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.93 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3932nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mayhew, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Black (7.8%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mayhew
The surname Mayhew is of English origin and can be traced back to the early medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "mæg" meaning "kinsman" or "son," and "hēah" meaning "high" or "tall." Thus, the name likely referred to a tall or distinguished kinsman or son.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Mayhew appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Mahehu" in Cambridgeshire. This suggests that the name was already in use by the late 11th century and may have originated in the East Anglian region.
During the Middle Ages, the name was also found in various spellings such as Maheu, Mayhew, and Mayhugh, indicating regional variations in pronunciation and spelling. Some early bearers of the name were associated with places like Mayfield in Sussex and Mayhill in Herefordshire, hinting at potential connections between the surname and these locations.
One notable figure in English history with the surname Mayhew was Sir William Mayhew (c. 1500-1572), a wealthy merchant and landowner from London. He served as Lord Mayor of the City of London in 1561 and was known for his philanthropic efforts, including the establishment of a free grammar school in his hometown of Rye, Sussex.
Another prominent individual was Jonathan Mayhew (1720-1766), a Congregationalist minister and influential political writer during the American Revolution. His sermons and pamphlets, such as "A Discourse Concerning Unlimited Submission and Non-Resistance to the Higher Powers," played a significant role in shaping public opinion against British colonial policies.
In the literary world, Henry Mayhew (1812-1887) was a renowned English social researcher and journalist. His most famous work, "London Labour and the London Poor," provided a comprehensive account of the living conditions of the working class in Victorian London, based on extensive interviews and observations.
The surname Mayhew also found its way across the Atlantic, with notable figures such as Robert Mayhew (1615-1687), one of the early settlers of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, and a prominent landowner and public servant in the colony.
Lastly, Thomas Mayhew (1592-1682) was an English merchant and early colonial governor of Martha's Vineyard and the neighboring islands. He played a pivotal role in establishing settlements and negotiating with the Native American tribes in the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mayhew
Among Census respondents with the surname Mayhew, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Black (7.8%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Mayhew 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 Mayhew surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.8% · 7,346
- Black or African American7.8% · 680
- Two or more races4.1% · 361
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 276
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 60
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 38
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mayhew
Mayhew 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
#3,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,085
+331 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 3.08
Rank movement Down 190 places
2020
#3,932
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,761
-324 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 2.93
Rank movement Down 24 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,718 | 8,754 | 3.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,908 | 9,085 | 3.08 | +331 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 190 places |
| 2020 | #3,932 | 8,761 | 2.93 | -324 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 24 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 Mayhew 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 | #3,908 | #3,932 | -0.6% |
| Count | 9,085 | 8,761 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 3.08 | 2.93 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mayhew bearers went from 9,085 to 8,761 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 24 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,908 to #3,932.
FAQ
Mayhew surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mayhew?
Name Census estimates that about 10,046 living Americans carry the surname Mayhew. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 34,118 residents.
How common is Mayhew?
Mayhew ranks #3,932 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.93 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,761 people with the surname Mayhew. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,046), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.93 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.93 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Mayhew.
Has Mayhew become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mayhew went from 9,085 recorded bearers to 8,761. That is a decrease of 324 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,908 to #3,932.
What does the Census say about the background of Mayhew?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mayhew, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Black (7.8%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Mayhew in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.8% (7,346 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mayhew appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.8%), Black (7.8%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Mayhew (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 Mayhew mean?
From an English place name meaning "may hedge," referring to a boundary hedge that flowered in May. 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 Mayhew (2.93 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 are called Mayhew?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Mayhew at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.