There were 102 passengers on the Mayflower during its famous 1620 voyage, plus an additional crew whose exact number is uncertain but is often estimated at around 30 men.

Quick Scoop

  • Most historical accounts agree the Mayflower carried 102 passengers when it left Plymouth, England, in September 1620.
  • These passengers were a mix of religious Separatists (later called Pilgrims) and other settlers recruited for the new colony.
  • On top of the passengers, historians estimate about 20–30 crew members , though the precise crew count is unknown.

A Few Extra Details

  • During the voyage, one young passenger, William Butten , died at sea, while a baby, Oceanus Hopkins , was born, keeping the passenger total effectively at 102.
  • When the ship arrived near Cape Cod and later at Plymouth Harbor, another baby, Peregrine White , was born, sometimes bringing later “on board” counts to 103 in harbor-era lists.

Why Numbers Sometimes Differ

  • Some modern research projects count 104 “passengers” if they include babies born during the voyage or in the harbor, plus everyone on Bradford’s broader lists.
  • Because crew lists were never fully recorded and different historians use slightly different criteria, total “people on the Mayflower” (passengers + crew) is usually described as around 130–150 individuals rather than a single exact figure.

TL;DR: For “how many people were on the Mayflower,” the standard answer is 102 passengers , with about 20–30 crew also on board.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.