# Maher (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/maher/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname from Irish.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | Irish |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 23,222 |
| US rank (2010) | 1,549 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 13,295 people |
| Change since 2000 | +3.2% (22,503 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈmɑː(ɹ)/, 1 syllable |
| Variant spellings | Mahar, Mayher, Meagher |

## Etymology

Reduced Anglicized form of Irish Ó Meachair (“descendant of Meachar”), a personal name meaning "fine", "majestic".

## Who carries it

Share of people named Maher in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 94% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 0.5% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.5% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 1.2% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.3% |
| Two or more races | 1.6% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Maher in the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom and Canada.

## People named Maher

- Bill Maher, American stand-up comedian and television host
- Kaitlyn Maher, American actress
- Sean Maher, American actor
- Ben Maher, British equestrian
- Ilona Maher, American rugby player
- Allan Maher, Australian soccer player
- Bill Maher, American rower
- Fred Maher, American musician
- Brett Maher, Australian basketball player (born 1973)
- Matthew Maher, American actor
- George W. Maher, American architect (1864–1926)
- Matt Maher, American contemporary Christian musician

and 1 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Mahar, Mayer, Maier, Marr, Mauer, Mair, Mähr, Mayr, Moore, Murray, Meyer, Morrow.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.