2000
#6,772
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,588
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.70
Rare Last name
Mayle
Derived from the Old French word "mail," referring to someone who made or wore chain mail armor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,091 Americans carry the last name Mayle. That puts it at #7,247 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.49 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 67,326 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mayle 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 Mayle with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.1K
1 in 67,326
Census rank
#7,247
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,440 bearers of the surname Mayle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.49 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7247th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mayle, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.5%) and Black (10.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mayle
The surname MAYLE is believed to have originated in England, deriving from the Old English word "mal" which meant "speech" or "discourse". This name likely referred to someone who was a skilled orator or storyteller in ancient times.
The earliest known record of this surname dates back to the 12th century, appearing in the Pipe Rolls of Norfolk in 1166 as "Robert Maille". It's thought that the name may have initially emerged in the county of Norfolk or the surrounding East Anglian region.
By the 13th century, variations of the spelling had started to appear, such as "Maile", "Mayle", and "Maille". Some of these spellings were influenced by the Norman French word "maille", meaning "mesh" or "ring of chain mail", suggesting a possible association with armour-making or metalworking trades.
One of the earliest notable bearers of this name was Sir William Mayle, a 14th-century knight from Somerset who fought in the Hundred Years' War under King Edward III. His coat of arms is recorded in the medieval heraldic rolls.
During the 16th century, the MAYLE surname was found in various parts of England, with records showing families in Somerset, Gloucestershire, and Wiltshire. John Mayle, born in 1523 in Somerset, was a prominent landowner and member of the local gentry.
Another well-known figure was Peter Mayle, a 17th-century English clergyman and author who served as the Archdeacon of Essex from 1668 to 1672. His works include several religious treatises and sermons published during his lifetime.
In the 18th century, the MAYLE name appeared in the parish records of Cirencester, Gloucestershire, with the baptism of Thomas Mayle in 1723. This branch of the family later produced several notable figures, including William Mayle, a successful merchant and landowner born in 1785.
One of the most famous individuals with this surname was Peter Mayle, the British author best known for his best-selling memoir "A Year in Provence". Born in 1939, Mayle's books captured the essence of life in the French countryside and brought the region's charm to a global audience.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mayle
Among Census respondents with the surname Mayle, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.5%) and Black (10.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Mayle 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 Mayle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.8% · 3,277
- Two or more races12.5% · 556
- Black or African American10.3% · 457
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 76
- Hispanic or Latino1.4% · 61
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mayle
Mayle 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
#7,016
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,773
+185 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 1.62
Rank movement Down 244 places
2020
#7,247
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,440
-333 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 1.49
Rank movement Down 231 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,772 | 4,588 | 1.70 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,016 | 4,773 | 1.62 | +185 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 244 places |
| 2020 | #7,247 | 4,440 | 1.49 | -333 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 231 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 Mayle 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 | #7,016 | #7,247 | -3.3% |
| Count | 4,773 | 4,440 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.62 | 1.49 | -8.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mayle bearers went from 4,773 to 4,440 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 231 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,016 to #7,247.
FAQ
Mayle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mayle?
Name Census estimates that about 5,091 living Americans carry the surname Mayle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 67,326 residents.
How common is Mayle?
Mayle ranks #7,247 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.49 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 4,440 people with the surname Mayle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,091), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.49 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.49 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 Mayle.
Has Mayle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mayle went from 4,773 recorded bearers to 4,440. That is a decrease of 333 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,016 to #7,247.
What does the Census say about the background of Mayle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mayle, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.5%) and Black (10.3%). 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 Mayle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.8% (3,277 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mayle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.8%), Two or More Races (12.5%), Black (10.3%). 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 Mayle (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 Mayle mean?
Derived from the Old French word "mail," referring to someone who made or wore chain mail armor. 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 Mayle (1.49 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 Mayle?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.