2000
#5,968
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,311
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.97
Rare Last name
Marchant
An occupational surname referring to a merchant or trader.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,573 Americans carry the last name Marchant. That puts it at #5,814 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.92 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 52,146 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Marchant 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 Marchant with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.6K
1 in 52,146
Census rank
#5,814
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,732 bearers of the surname Marchant in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.92 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5814th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Marchant, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.0%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Marchant
The surname Marchant has its origins in medieval France, where it first emerged in the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "marchant," meaning "merchant" or "trader." This occupational surname was given to individuals who were engaged in mercantile activities, particularly those involved in the buying and selling of goods.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the 13th-century "Cartulaire de Louviers," a collection of medieval charters and documents from the region of Normandy. This document mentions a certain "Radulphus Marchant" in the year 1249, suggesting that the surname was well-established in northern France by that time.
The Marchant surname also appears in the renowned "Domesday Book," a comprehensive survey of landowners and their holdings commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This record includes entries for individuals bearing the name in various regions of England, indicating that the name had already spread across the English Channel by the late 11th century.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the Marchant family played a significant role in the trade and commerce of medieval Europe. One notable figure was Jean Marchant, a successful merchant from Rouen who lived in the 14th century. Records indicate that he established a thriving trade network, facilitating the exchange of goods between France, England, and the Low Countries.
In the 15th century, the Marchant surname gained further prominence with the birth of Jacques Marchant (1393-1472), a renowned French scholar and theologian. Marchant served as the chancellor of the University of Paris and authored several influential works on theology and philosophy, contributing to the intellectual discourse of his time.
During the Renaissance period, the Marchant family continued to make its mark in various fields. Pierre Marchant (1510-1586), a French printer and publisher from Paris, played a crucial role in the dissemination of knowledge by producing numerous scholarly works and translations of classical texts.
Another notable figure was Charles Marchant (1682-1756), a French architect and engineer who gained recognition for his designs of several churches and public buildings in Paris and the surrounding regions. His works, including the Church of Saint-Sulpice and the Hôtel de Ville de Tours, exemplified the architectural styles of the Baroque and Neoclassical eras.
As the name spread throughout Europe, it also found its way to other parts of the world. In the 19th century, Joseph Marchant (1815-1896), a British explorer and naturalist, made significant contributions to the study of flora and fauna in Australia and New Zealand, where he spent a considerable part of his life documenting the unique species of the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Marchant
Among Census respondents with the surname Marchant, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.0%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Marchant 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 Marchant surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.8% · 4,978
- Hispanic or Latino7.0% · 402
- Two or more races3.2% · 181
- Black or African American1.5% · 84
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 62
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 25
Timeline
Historical Census data for Marchant
Marchant 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
#5,909
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,834
+523 bearers (+9.8%)
Per 100,000 1.98
Rank movement Up 59 places
2020
#5,814
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,732
-102 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 1.92
Rank movement Up 95 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,968 | 5,311 | 1.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,909 | 5,834 | 1.98 | +523 bearers (+9.8%) | Up 59 places |
| 2020 | #5,814 | 5,732 | 1.92 | -102 bearers (-1.7%) | Up 95 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 Marchant 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 | #5,909 | #5,814 | 1.6% |
| Count | 5,834 | 5,732 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.98 | 1.92 | -3.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Marchant bearers went from 5,834 to 5,732 (-1.7% change). The surname moved up 95 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,909 to #5,814.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Marchant
FAQ
Marchant surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Marchant?
Name Census estimates that about 6,573 living Americans carry the surname Marchant. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 52,146 residents.
How common is Marchant?
Marchant ranks #5,814 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.92 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,732 people with the surname Marchant. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,573), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.92 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.92 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Marchant.
Has Marchant become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Marchant went from 5,834 recorded bearers to 5,732. That is a decrease of 102 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,909 to #5,814.
What does the Census say about the background of Marchant?
Among Census respondents with the surname Marchant, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.0%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Marchant in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.8% (4,978 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Marchant appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.8%), Hispanic (7.0%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Marchant (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 Marchant mean?
An occupational surname referring to a merchant or trader. 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 Marchant (1.92 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 many Americans have the surname Marchant?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.