2000
#39,499
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 524
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.19
Rare Last name
Maran
A surname of Italian origin meaning "bitter" or "unfortunate."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,229 Americans carry the last name Maran. That puts it at #24,345 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.36 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 278,889 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Maran surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Maran with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.2K
1 in 278,889
Census rank
#24,345
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,072 bearers of the surname Maran in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.36 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 24345th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Maran, the largest self-reported group is White at 47.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (35.4%) and Hispanic (10.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Maran
The surname Maran originated in Spain during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Latin word "marra," which means a hoe or a mattock, a type of tool used for digging and cultivating the soil. The name likely referred to someone who worked as a farmer or a laborer in the agricultural fields.
Maran was initially found in the regions of Catalonia, Valencia, and the Balearic Islands, where it was commonly used among the local population. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 13th and 14th centuries in various historical documents and records from these areas.
One notable reference to the name Maran can be found in the "Libre de Repartiment de València," a document dating back to 1238, which recorded the distribution of lands and properties among the Christian conquerors of Valencia after the Reconquista. This suggests that individuals bearing the surname Maran were present in the region during that period.
In the 15th century, a man named Juan Maran (born circa 1420) was a prominent merchant and trader based in Barcelona, known for his extensive business dealings with various Mediterranean ports. He was also involved in the financing of several maritime expeditions and voyages of exploration.
Another notable figure was Tomás Maran (1540-1612), a Catalan priest and theologian who served as a professor at the University of Valencia. He authored several religious texts and treatises that were widely circulated during the Counter-Reformation era.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Maran was also found in regions of Aragon and Castile, likely due to the migration of families from the eastern coastal areas. One example is Juan Maran de Velasco (1580-1652), a military officer and diplomat who served in the Spanish courts and was involved in various diplomatic missions and negotiations.
In the 18th century, a prominent figure was Manuel Maran y Guzmán (1705-1778), a Spanish lawyer and jurist who served as a judge in the Royal Audiencia of Valencia. He was known for his expertise in legal matters and his contributions to the development of Spanish jurisprudence.
As the name spread across Spain and its territories, variations and alternative spellings emerged, such as Marán, Maران, and Marañón. The name also found its way to other Spanish-speaking regions, including the Americas, as a result of migration and colonization efforts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Maran
Among Census respondents with the surname Maran, the largest self-reported group is White at 47.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (35.4%) and Hispanic (10.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Maran bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Maran surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White47.4% · 508
- Asian and Pacific Islander35.4% · 379
- Hispanic or Latino10.3% · 110
- Black or African American5.2% · 56
- Two or more races1.1% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Maran
Maran appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#38,801
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 569
+45 bearers (+8.6%)
Per 100,000 0.19
Rank movement Up 698 places
2020
#24,345
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,072
+503 bearers (+88.4%)
Per 100,000 0.36
Rank movement Up 14,456 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #39,499 | 524 | 0.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #38,801 | 569 | 0.19 | +45 bearers (+8.6%) | Up 698 places |
| 2020 | #24,345 | 1,072 | 0.36 | +503 bearers (+88.4%) | Up 14,456 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Maran surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #38,801 | #24,345 | 37.3% |
| Count | 569 | 1,072 | 88.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.19 | 0.36 | 88.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Maran bearers went from 569 to 1,072 (+88.4% change). The surname moved up 14,456 positions in the national ranking, going from #38,801 to #24,345.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Maran
FAQ
Maran surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Maran?
Name Census estimates that about 1,229 living Americans carry the surname Maran. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 278,889 residents.
How common is Maran?
Maran ranks #24,345 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.36 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,072 people with the surname Maran. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,229), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.36 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.36 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Maran.
Has Maran become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Maran went from 569 recorded bearers to 1,072. That is an increase of 503 (+88.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #38,801 to #24,345.
What does the Census say about the background of Maran?
Among Census respondents with the surname Maran, the largest self-reported group is White at 47.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (35.4%) and Hispanic (10.3%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Maran in the 2020 Census, accounting for 47.4% (508 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Maran appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (47.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (35.4%), Hispanic (10.3%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Maran (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Maran mean?
A surname of Italian origin meaning "bitter" or "unfortunate." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Maran (0.36 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Maran?
Want to know how many people are called Maran? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.