2000
#11,118
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,620
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.97
Rare Last name
Marconi
An Italian occupational surname referring to a person who operated a large hammer in a forge.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,922 Americans carry the last name Marconi. That puts it at #11,761 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 117,301 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Marconi 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.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 117,301
Census rank
#11,761
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,548 bearers of the surname Marconi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11761st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Marconi, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.2%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Marconi
The surname Marconi is of Italian origin, originating from the region of Emilia-Romagna in northern Italy. It is believed to have derived from the Italian word "marcone," which means "to mark" or "to brand." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who worked as a brander or marker of livestock or goods.
The earliest recorded instance of the Marconi name dates back to the 13th century. In 1270, a document from the city of Bologna mentioned a person named Guido Marconi. This indicates that the name was already in use during the medieval period.
Throughout history, the Marconi surname has been associated with several notable individuals. One of the most famous is Guglielmo Marconi, the Italian inventor and electrical engineer credited with the development of long-distance radio transmission. He was born in 1874 and died in 1937, and his groundbreaking work in wireless communication earned him the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1909.
Another prominent figure with the Marconi surname was Arturo Marconi, an Italian painter and sculptor who lived from 1857 to 1935. He was known for his works in the Impressionist and Macchiaioli styles, and his paintings can be found in various art galleries and museums throughout Italy.
In the 16th century, there was a record of a prominent Italian family named Marconi residing in the city of Bologna. They were involved in the wool trade and held influential positions within the city's government.
The name Marconi can also be traced back to various place names in Italy, such as Marconia, a town in the province of Basilicata, and Marcon, a commune in the province of Venice. These place names may have been derived from the same root as the surname, further solidifying its Italian origins.
Other notable individuals with the Marconi surname include Giacomo Marconi, an Italian mathematician and astronomer who lived in the 17th century, and Enrico Marconi, an Italian opera singer and composer active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Marconi
Among Census respondents with the surname Marconi, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.2%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Marconi 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 Marconi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.9% · 2,190
- Hispanic or Latino9.2% · 234
- Two or more races2.9% · 74
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 17
- Black or African American0.4% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Marconi
Marconi 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
#11,587
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,712
+92 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Down 469 places
2020
#11,761
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,548
-164 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Down 174 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,118 | 2,620 | 0.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,587 | 2,712 | 0.92 | +92 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 469 places |
| 2020 | #11,761 | 2,548 | 0.85 | -164 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 174 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 Marconi 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 | #11,587 | #11,761 | -1.5% |
| Count | 2,712 | 2,548 | -6.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.92 | 0.85 | -7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Marconi bearers went from 2,712 to 2,548 (-6.0% change). The surname moved down 174 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,587 to #11,761.
FAQ
Marconi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Marconi?
Name Census estimates that about 2,922 living Americans carry the surname Marconi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 117,301 residents.
How common is Marconi?
Marconi ranks #11,761 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.85 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,548 people with the surname Marconi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,922), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.85 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Marconi.
Has Marconi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Marconi went from 2,712 recorded bearers to 2,548. That is a decrease of 164 (-6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,587 to #11,761.
What does the Census say about the background of Marconi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Marconi, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.2%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Marconi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.9% (2,190 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Marconi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.9%), Hispanic (9.2%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Marconi (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 Marconi mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to a person who operated a large hammer in a forge. 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 Marconi (0.85 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 people are called Marconi?
You can see how many people have the surname Marconi on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.