How Common Is the Last Name Mah?
An estimated 2,982 people in the United States share the surname Mah. That's about 1 in 114,941 Americans. This data comes from the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau surname frequency tables.
This page covers the Mah surname's frequency in the U.S. population, its rank among all American surnames, and a breakdown of ancestry and ethnicity data from the Census. You can also check how many people share any first + last name combination involving Mah.
Estimated Americans with this Surname
2,982
About 1 in 114,941 people in the U.S.
Census Rank
#12,124
Frequency Rate
0.87
per 100,000 people
Census Count
2,571
2010 Census
Data Source
2010
U.S. Census Bureau
Ancestry and Ethnicity for Mah
The Mah surname is most commonly associated with people who identify as Asian/Pacific Islander (75.81%). The next largest groups are White (9.92%) and Two or More Races (7.74%).
Self-reported race and ethnicity from the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau surname tables. Some categories may be suppressed for privacy when sample sizes are small.
Is the Surname Mah More or Less Common Than Before?
Between the 2000 and 2010 census releases, more people were recorded with the surname Mah, but it became a smaller share of the U.S. population overall. In other words, the raw count went up, while the frequency per 100,000 went down.
The headline number to watch is per 100,000 people. That tells you whether the surname became a bigger or smaller share of the country overall, even if the raw number of people with the name also changed.
Census Count
Per 100,000 People
Popularity summary
Use this table to compare rank, total count, and population-adjusted frequency side by side.
| Metric | 2010 | 2000 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #12,124 | #11,346 | -6.63% |
| Count | 2,571 | 2,553 | 0.70% |
| Per 100,000 | 0.87 | 0.95 | -8.79% |
If the raw count rose but the per-100,000 number fell, the surname still became less common relative to the size of the U.S. population. That is why the frequency rate usually tells the clearer story.
Recorded ancestry change
These percentages show how the Census profile for this surname shifted between the two surveys.
| Ancestry | 2010 | 2000 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 9.92% | 14.85% | -39.81% |
| Black | 3.62% | 2.23% | 47.52% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 75.81% | 74.89% | 1.22% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.19% | N/A | N/A |
| Two or More Races | 7.74% | 5.80% | 28.66% |
| Hispanic | 2.72% | N/A | N/A |
These percentages come from self-reported Census data. They describe how the recorded makeup of people using the surname Mah changed between 2000 and 2010, not the deeper family origin of every bearer of the name.
First Name + Mah Combinations
How many people share a full name with Mah as the last name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Mah Surname: Questions and Answers
How common is the last name Mah?
Mah is the #12,124 most common surname in the United States, with an estimated 2,982 people sharing this last name. It appears at a rate of 0.87 per 100,000 Americans.
What ethnicity is the surname Mah?
The Mah surname is most commonly associated with people who identify as Asian/Pacific Islander (75.81%). The next largest groups are White (9.92%) and Two or More Races (7.74%). This data comes from the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau surname tables, which include self-reported race and ethnicity breakdowns.
How many people named [First Name] Mah are there?
We can estimate any first + last name combination. Popular examples: Michael Mah, James Mah, John Mah. Search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this surname data come from?
Surname frequency data comes from the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau decennial surname tables. These list every surname appearing in the Census along with frequency rates and demographic breakdowns. Full methodology.
Search for a full name combination
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