2000
#11,745
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,443
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.91
Rare Last name
Middaugh
Derived from a place name meaning "middle oak" or "middle enclosure" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,556 Americans carry the last name Middaugh. That puts it at #13,149 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 134,098 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Middaugh 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
2.6K
1 in 134,098
Census rank
#13,149
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,229 bearers of the surname Middaugh in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13149th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Middaugh, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Middaugh
The surname Middaugh has its origins in the Netherlands and dates back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Dutch words "middel" meaning "middle" and "ag" or "ach" meaning "field" or "land." Therefore, Middaugh likely referred to someone who lived or worked in the middle of a field or land.
The earliest recorded reference to the Middaugh name is found in a Dutch census record from the year 1567 in the province of Friesland. The name was spelled as "Middelaagh" at the time, which is a variation of the current spelling.
In the 17th century, several Middaugh families immigrated to the Dutch colony of New Netherland, which later became part of the state of New York. One of the earliest recorded Middaughs in the New World was Gerrit Middaugh, who was born in 1665 in the town of Flatbush, Long Island.
Another notable Middaugh was Johannes Middaugh, born in 1690 in Flatbush, who served as a lieutenant in the colonial militia during the French and Indian War. His son, Johannes Middaugh Jr., born in 1718, was a prominent landowner and farmer in the area.
In the 18th century, the Middaugh name spread to other parts of the American colonies, with families settling in Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Maryland. One notable figure from this period was William Middaugh, born in 1745 in Pennsylvania, who fought in the Revolutionary War as a member of the Continental Army.
During the 19th century, the Middaugh name continued to spread across the United States, with many families settling in the Midwest and Western regions. One prominent Middaugh from this era was John Middaugh, born in 1820 in Ohio, who became a successful businessman and philanthropist in the city of Cincinnati.
Throughout its history, the Middaugh surname has been associated with various occupations, including farming, military service, business, and politics. While not a particularly common name, the Middaugh family has made significant contributions to the development of various communities across the United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Middaugh
Among Census respondents with the surname Middaugh, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Middaugh 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 Middaugh surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.9% · 2,003
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 109
- Two or more races3.9% · 86
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 17
- Black or African American0.6% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Middaugh
Middaugh 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
#12,242
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,541
+98 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Down 497 places
2020
#13,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,229
-312 bearers (-12.3%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Down 907 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,745 | 2,443 | 0.91 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,242 | 2,541 | 0.86 | +98 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 497 places |
| 2020 | #13,149 | 2,229 | 0.75 | -312 bearers (-12.3%) | Down 907 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 Middaugh 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 | #12,242 | #13,149 | -7.4% |
| Count | 2,541 | 2,229 | -12.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.86 | 0.75 | -13.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Middaugh bearers went from 2,541 to 2,229 (-12.3% change). The surname moved down 907 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,242 to #13,149.
FAQ
Middaugh surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Middaugh?
Name Census estimates that about 2,556 living Americans carry the surname Middaugh. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 134,098 residents.
How common is Middaugh?
Middaugh ranks #13,149 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.75 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 2,229 people with the surname Middaugh. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,556), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.75 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 Middaugh.
Has Middaugh become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Middaugh went from 2,541 recorded bearers to 2,229. That is a decrease of 312 (-12.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,242 to #13,149.
What does the Census say about the background of Middaugh?
Among Census respondents with the surname Middaugh, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Middaugh in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.9% (2,003 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Middaugh appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.9%), Hispanic (4.9%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Middaugh (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 Middaugh mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "middle oak" or "middle enclosure" in Old English. 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 Middaugh (0.75 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 Middaugh?
Want to know how many people have the surname Middaugh? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.