2000
#13,137
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,134
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.79
Rare Last name
Mayor
An occupational surname referring to the chief magistrate or principal official of a city or town.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,890 Americans carry the last name Mayor. That puts it at #11,880 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 118,600 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mayor 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 Mayor with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 118,600
Census rank
#11,880
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,520 bearers of the surname Mayor in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11880th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mayor, the largest self-reported group is White at 42.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (36.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (15.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mayor
The surname Mayor is of English origin and dates back to the Middle Ages. It is an occupational name derived from the Old French word "mair" or "maire," which in turn comes from the Latin "maior" meaning "greater" or "superior." This term was used to denote a high-ranking official or administrator, often the chief magistrate of a town or city.
In medieval England, the Mayor was a prominent figure who held significant authority and presided over civic affairs. The earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in various historical documents, such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where a Robert le Mair is mentioned in Cambridgeshire.
The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname Mayor. However, it does record individuals with similar occupational titles, such as "praepositus" (reeve) or "baillivus" (bailiff), which were precursors to the role of Mayor.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the surname Mayor became more widespread, particularly in urban areas where the office of Mayor held greater significance. Notable individuals bearing this surname include William Mayor (c. 1460-1501), a Member of Parliament for the city of Norwich during the reign of Henry VII, and Sir Richard Mayor (1530-1610), a wealthy merchant and Lord Mayor of London in 1590.
In the 16th century, the surname Mayor was also found in various spellings, such as Mayer, Mayre, and Maire, reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions. One prominent figure from this era was Sir John Mayor (1528-1599), a merchant and philanthropist who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1571.
In later centuries, the surname Mayor continued to be associated with individuals in positions of authority and leadership. John Mayor (1670-1745) was a Scottish mathematician and professor at the University of St Andrews, while Joseph Mayor (1801-1858) was an English clergyman and Master of St John's College, Cambridge.
Other notable individuals with the surname Mayor include Richard Mayor (1885-1962), a British actor and playwright, and Federico Adolfo Gutiérrez Mayor (1914-1944), a Colombian pilot who served in the Royal Air Force during World War II and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his bravery.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mayor
Among Census respondents with the surname Mayor, the largest self-reported group is White at 42.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (36.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (15.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Mayor 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 Mayor surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White42.0% · 1,058
- Hispanic or Latino36.9% · 930
- Asian and Pacific Islander15.5% · 390
- Two or more races3.0% · 76
- Black or African American2.3% · 59
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mayor
Mayor 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
#12,636
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,450
+316 bearers (+14.8%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Up 501 places
2020
#11,880
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,520
+70 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Up 756 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,137 | 2,134 | 0.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,636 | 2,450 | 0.83 | +316 bearers (+14.8%) | Up 501 places |
| 2020 | #11,880 | 2,520 | 0.84 | +70 bearers (+2.9%) | Up 756 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 Mayor 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 | #12,636 | #11,880 | 6.0% |
| Count | 2,450 | 2,520 | 2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.83 | 0.84 | 1.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mayor bearers went from 2,450 to 2,520 (+2.9% change). The surname moved up 756 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,636 to #11,880.
FAQ
Mayor surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mayor?
Name Census estimates that about 2,890 living Americans carry the surname Mayor. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 118,600 residents.
How common is Mayor?
Mayor ranks #11,880 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.84 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 2,520 people with the surname Mayor. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,890), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.84 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 Mayor.
Has Mayor become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mayor went from 2,450 recorded bearers to 2,520. That is an increase of 70 (+2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,636 to #11,880.
What does the Census say about the background of Mayor?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mayor, the largest self-reported group is White at 42.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (36.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (15.5%). 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 Mayor in the 2020 Census, accounting for 42.0% (1,058 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mayor appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (42.0%), Hispanic (36.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (15.5%). 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 Mayor (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 Mayor mean?
An occupational surname referring to the chief magistrate or principal official of a city or town. 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 Mayor (0.84 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 share the surname Mayor?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.