Prior to the discovery of gold on the Witwatersrand in 1886, the suburb lay on land on one of the original farms that make up Johannesburg, called Langlaagte.

Today Mayfair has a large Indian population, along with a significant number of Muslim immigrants from the rest of Africa.

In recent years Mayfair has become populated with a large number of Somalis and Ethiopians.

Mayfair is populated by a diverse community economically and remains a vibrant part of Indian city life.

Former President of South Africa, F. W. de Klerk, the last to hold the office before the end of apartheid in 1994, was born here.