2000
#809
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 38,914
First available Census row
Per 100,000 14.43
Uncommon Last name
Mays
A surname derived from the month of May or referring to someone born or baptized in that month.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 44,806 Americans carry the last name Mays. That puts it at #875 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 13.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 7,650 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mays 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 Mays with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
45K
1 in 7,650
Census rank
#875
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
13.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
39K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 39,073 bearers of the surname Mays in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 13.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 875th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mays, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.3%. The next largest groups are Black (38.4%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mays
Among Census respondents with the surname Mays, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.3%. The next largest groups are Black (38.4%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Mays 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 Mays surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White52.3% · 20,434
- Black or African American38.4% · 14,996
- Two or more races5.1% · 2,001
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 1,226
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 231
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 185
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mays
Mays 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
#854
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 40,408
+1,494 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 13.70
Rank movement Down 45 places
2020
#875
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 39,073
-1,335 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 13.07
Rank movement Down 21 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #809 | 38,914 | 14.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #854 | 40,408 | 13.70 | +1,494 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 45 places |
| 2020 | #875 | 39,073 | 13.07 | -1,335 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 21 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 Mays 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 | #854 | #875 | -2.5% |
| Count | 40,408 | 39,073 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 13.70 | 13.07 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mays bearers went from 40,408 to 39,073 (-3.3% change). The surname moved down 21 positions in the national ranking, going from #854 to #875.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mays
FAQ
Mays surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mays?
Name Census estimates that about 44,806 living Americans carry the surname Mays. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 7,650 residents.
How common is Mays?
Mays ranks #875 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 13.07 per 100,000 residents, which is about 13 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 39,073 people with the surname Mays. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (44,806), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 13.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 13.07 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 13 of them to have the surname Mays.
Has Mays become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mays went from 40,408 recorded bearers to 39,073. That is a decrease of 1,335 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #854 to #875.
What does the Census say about the background of Mays?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mays, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.3%. The next largest groups are Black (38.4%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Mays in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.3% (20,434 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mays appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (52.3%), Black (38.4%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Mays (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 Mays mean?
A surname derived from the month of May or referring to someone born or baptized in that month. 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 Mays (13.07 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 Mays?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.