How common is the surname Major?

20,977 people in the United States had the surname Major in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 14,718 Americans. It ranked 1,714th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Major?

Charles Major, American novelist, lawyer (1856-1913), followed by Elliott Woolfolk Major.

Where is the surname Major most common?

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

Is the surname Major getting more or less common?

More common. 19,791 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 20,977 in 2010, up 6.0%.

Is Major also a first name?

Yes. Major is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Major

A German surname, carried by 20,977 people in the United States.

2 syllables Soundex M260 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Major is more common than 98.9% of them.

Origin

German origin

* As an English surname of Norman origin, from the personal name Malgier, via Old French from the Germanic name *Madalgari. See Mauger. * As a Hungarian surname, shortened from majorosgazda (see Majoros), or borrowed from German Meyer. * As a Polish, Czech, and Slovak surname, from the military rank major. * As a Jewish surname, variant of Meyer. * As a French and Occitan surname, from the adjective majeur and the military rank major. The latter appears in Canadian French, sometimes also as La Major.

One of 1,101 German surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 20,977 people named Major in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 14,718 Americans. That is up 6.0% since 2000, when the Census counted 19,791.

#1,714

rank among US surnames

20,977

people in 2010

7.1

per 100,000 Americans

+6%

change since 2000 (was #1,659)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#1,705	Patino	21,113	14,623
#1,706	Marrero	21,109	14,626
#1,707	Hager	21,106	14,628
#1,708	Hurt	21,037	14,676
#1,709	Ash	21,030	14,681
#1,710	Hagan	21,017	14,690
#1,711	Brito	21,007	14,697

Who is named Major

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

61% of people named Major identified as white (not Hispanic), 33% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.7% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 61%
Black (not Hispanic) 33%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.7%
Two or more races 2.2%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.7%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.5%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Majors

6 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Charles Major
American novelist, lawyer (1856-1913)
Elliott Woolfolk Major
American politician (1864-1949)
Anya Major
British athlete and actor, born 1966
Clarence Major
American poet, painter and novelist, born 1936
Travis Major
Australian soccer player, born 1990
DJ Rush
American DJ and music producer, born 1970

Notable Majors come mostly from the United States (4), the United Kingdom (1) and Australia (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Major

Major has the Soundex code M260, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code M260.

Other German surnames

All 1,101 German surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Major come from?: * As an English surname of Norman origin, from the personal name Malgier, via Old French from the Germanic name *Madalgari. See Mauger. * As a Hungarian surname, shortened from majorosgazda (see Majoros), or borrowed from German Meyer. * As a Polish, Czech, and Slovak surname, from the military…
How common is the surname Major?: 20,977 people in the United States had the surname Major in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 14,718 Americans. It ranked 1,714th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Major?: In the 2010 Census, 61% of people named Major identified as white (not Hispanic), and 33% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Major?: Charles Major, American novelist, lawyer (1856-1913), followed by Elliott Woolfolk Major.
Where is the surname Major most common?: Wikidata records people named Major in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.
Is the surname Major getting more or less common?: More common. 19,791 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 20,977 in 2010, up 6.0%.
Is Major also a first name?: Yes. Major is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.