Find out how popular the last name Mays is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Mays.

Mays, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Mays surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Mays in America

Mays is the 854th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Mays surname appeared 40,408 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 14 people would have the surname Mays.

We can also compare 2010 data for Mays to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Mays

The surname Mays has its origins in England and is believed to have derived from the Old English word "maeg," meaning a relative or kinsman. This name was likely initially used as a surname to identify someone who was a relative or kinsman of an important person or family.

The Mays surname is found in various historical records, such as the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name is also mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a census-like record of landowners in England.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Mays was John Mays, who was born in Oxfordshire, England, in the late 13th century. Another notable individual was William Mays, who was born in Gloucestershire, England, in the early 15th century.

The Mays surname was also associated with several place names in England, such as Mayes Court in Kent and Mayes Green in Hertfordshire. These place names likely influenced the spelling variations of the surname, including Mayes, Mays, and Mase.

In the United States, the Mays surname can be traced back to the early colonial period. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname was Thomas Mays, who was born in Virginia in the late 17th century.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Mays. These include:

1. Benjamin Mays (1894-1984), an American Baptist minister, educator, and civil rights leader who served as the president of Morehouse College.
2. Willie Mays (1931-2022), an American professional baseball player regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. He played for the New York/San Francisco Giants and the New York Mets.
3. Lancelot Mays (1865-1916), an English actor and playwright known for his roles in Shakespearean plays.
4. Marilyn Mays (1858-1919), an American writer and activist who advocated for women's rights and social reform.
5. James Mays (1918-1996), an American lawyer and politician who served as the Attorney General of Mississippi from 1980 to 1988.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Mays

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Mays.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Mays was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Mays has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Mays was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Mays, please contact us.

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