Explore the Family Name Maira

The meaning of Maira

1. Italian (Sicily): from the feminine form of a nickname from the dialect word mairu ‘thin’. 2. Galician: habitational name from a place called Maira in Lugo province, which is probably of pre-Roman origin. 3. Indian (Odisha): borne by a subcaste of the Halwai, who specialized in making jaggery (a sweet confectionery based on cane sugar).

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Maira in the United States?

The surname Maira, according to the data sourced from the Decennial U.S. Census, saw a dip in popularity between 2000 and 2010. The name ranked 76,946 in 2000, then slid down to 83,834 in 2010, showing a decrease of 8.95%. Similarly, the count of individuals bearing the surname Maira also dropped slightly, from 232 in 2000 to 224 in 2010, marking a decrease of 3.45%. Consequently, the proportion of this surname per 100,000 people also decreased by 11.11%, from 0.09 to 0.08.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#76,946	#83,834	-8.95%
Count	232	224	-3.45%
Proportion per 100k	0.09	0.08	-11.11%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Maira

In terms of ethnic identity, the Decennial U.S. Census data for the surname Maira reveals some shifts over the decade. While the percentage of people identifying as White decreased from 87.50% in 2000 to 78.57% in 2010, there was an increase in the Asian/Pacific Islander category from 2.59% to 5.80%. Additionally, the representation of the Hispanic ethnicity within those carrying the Maira surname increased by nearly half, from 9.48% in 2000 to 13.84% in 2010. During this period, there were no recorded changes in those identifying as part of two or more races, Black, or American Indian and Alaskan Native.

	2000	2010	Change
White	87.5%	78.57%	-10.21%
Hispanic	9.48%	13.84%	45.99%
Asian/Pacific Islander	2.59%	5.8%	123.94%
Two or More Races	0%	0%	0%
Black	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%