2000
#16,326
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,625
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.60
Rare Last name
Maza
A Spanish nickname derived from the word "maza," meaning "mallet" or "club," likely referring to a strong person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,709 Americans carry the last name Maza. That puts it at #12,526 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 126,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Maza 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.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 126,524
Census rank
#12,526
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,362 bearers of the surname Maza in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12526th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Maza, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 70.4%. The next largest groups are White (23.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Maza
The surname MAZA is of Spanish origin and can be traced back to the late 15th century. Its roots are believed to lie in the Basque region of northern Spain and southern France, where it was likely derived from the Basque word "maza," meaning a cudgel or club. This suggests that the name may have originated from someone who worked as a club-maker or wielded such a weapon.
One of the earliest recorded references to the MAZA name can be found in the archives of the city of Bilbao, Spain, dating back to the late 1400s. It is mentioned in a document detailing a legal dispute over property ownership, which lists a certain Juan de MAZA as one of the parties involved.
In the 16th century, the MAZA surname began to spread beyond the Basque region as Spain expanded its territories through exploration and conquest. It appears in various historical records from this period, including the baptismal records of the Cathedral of Seville, where a child named Pedro MAZA was baptized in 1589.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the MAZA name became more widely dispersed throughout Spain and its colonies in the Americas. Notable individuals bearing this surname include Pedro de MAZA y Lozano (1592-1662), a Spanish priest and writer who authored several religious texts, and Juan de MAZA y Cabrera (1655-1722), a Spanish military officer who served in the War of the Spanish Succession.
As the Spanish empire grew, the MAZA surname also made its way to the Philippines, where it is still found today. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in the Philippines is that of Antonio MAZA, a Spanish soldier who arrived in Manila in the late 16th century and is believed to have started a family there.
Other notable figures with the MAZA surname include José María MAZA (1784-1868), a Mexican politician and lawyer who served as the President of Mexico for a brief period in 1844, and Rafael MAZA Campos (1853-1928), a Cuban painter and art professor who was instrumental in the development of Cuban art education.
Throughout its history, the MAZA surname has seen variations in spelling, including Maza, Maza y, and Mazas, reflecting regional differences and the influence of other languages. Despite these variations, the name has maintained a strong presence across Spain, Latin America, and beyond, serving as a testament to its enduring legacy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Maza
Among Census respondents with the surname Maza, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 70.4%. The next largest groups are White (23.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Maza 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 Maza surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino70.4% · 1,664
- White23.2% · 549
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.1% · 98
- Two or more races1.0% · 24
- Black or African American0.9% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Maza
Maza 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
#14,617
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,036
+411 bearers (+25.3%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Up 1,709 places
2020
#12,526
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,362
+326 bearers (+16.0%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Up 2,091 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,326 | 1,625 | 0.60 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,617 | 2,036 | 0.69 | +411 bearers (+25.3%) | Up 1,709 places |
| 2020 | #12,526 | 2,362 | 0.79 | +326 bearers (+16.0%) | Up 2,091 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 Maza 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 | #14,617 | #12,526 | 14.3% |
| Count | 2,036 | 2,362 | 16.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.69 | 0.79 | 14.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Maza bearers went from 2,036 to 2,362 (+16.0% change). The surname moved up 2,091 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,617 to #12,526.
FAQ
Maza surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Maza?
Name Census estimates that about 2,709 living Americans carry the surname Maza. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 126,524 residents.
How common is Maza?
Maza ranks #12,526 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.79 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 2,362 people with the surname Maza. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,709), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.79 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 Maza.
Has Maza become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Maza went from 2,036 recorded bearers to 2,362. That is an increase of 326 (+16.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,617 to #12,526.
What does the Census say about the background of Maza?
Among Census respondents with the surname Maza, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 70.4%. The next largest groups are White (23.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Maza in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.4% (1,664 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Maza appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (70.4%), White (23.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Maza (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 Maza mean?
A Spanish nickname derived from the word "maza," meaning "mallet" or "club," likely referring to a strong person. 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 Maza (0.79 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 common is the surname Maza?
You can see how many people are called Maza on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.