2000
#11,964
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,395
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.89
Rare Last name
Marie
A French surname derived from the given name Marie, itself a form of the name Mary, meaning "beloved."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,108 Americans carry the last name Marie. That puts it at #8,784 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 83,436 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Marie 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 Marie with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.1K
1 in 83,436
Census rank
#8,784
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,582 bearers of the surname Marie in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8784th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Marie, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.1%. The next largest groups are Black (13.1%) and Hispanic (13.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Marie
The surname Marie is of French origin, derived from the French personal name Marie, which itself is derived from the ancient Hebrew name Miriam. The name Marie has been used as a surname in France since at least the early Middle Ages.
In medieval France, the name Marie was often used as a feminine form of the name Marius, which was derived from the Roman family name Marius. The Marius family was a prominent Roman patrician family, and the name Marius was likely derived from the Latin word "mas," meaning "male."
The earliest recorded examples of the surname Marie can be found in French records from the 12th and 13th centuries. For instance, a nobleman named Robert Marie is mentioned in a charter from the year 1186. In the 13th century, a French monk named Pierre Marie was known for his writings on theology and philosophy.
The surname Marie was sometimes associated with certain place names in France, such as the town of Marie-sur-Marne or the village of Marie-aux-Mines. These place names likely originated from the surname Marie, indicating that people with this surname may have lived in or been associated with these locations.
During the Middle Ages and Renaissance period, several notable individuals bore the surname Marie. One example is Jean Marie, a French poet and playwright who lived in the 16th century. Another is Honoré Marie, a French mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics in the 17th century.
In the 18th century, a French philosopher and writer named François Marie Arouet, better known by his pen name Voltaire, was one of the most influential figures of the Enlightenment period. Voltaire's works, which criticized the established institutions of his time, had a profound impact on the development of modern thought and political philosophy.
Another important figure with the surname Marie was Marie-Anne Paulze Lavoisier, the wife of the renowned French chemist Antoine Lavoisier. Marie-Anne played a crucial role in her husband's scientific work, assisting him in his experiments and contributing to the development of modern chemistry.
Throughout history, the surname Marie has been carried by numerous individuals from various walks of life, including artists, scholars, and intellectuals. While its origins can be traced back to medieval France, the name has since spread to other parts of the world, reflecting the global reach and influence of French culture and history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Marie
Among Census respondents with the surname Marie, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.1%. The next largest groups are Black (13.1%) and Hispanic (13.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Marie 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 Marie surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.1% · 2,438
- Black or African American13.1% · 470
- Hispanic or Latino13.1% · 468
- Two or more races3.7% · 131
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 46
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 29
Timeline
Historical Census data for Marie
Marie 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
#11,241
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,812
+417 bearers (+17.4%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Up 723 places
2020
#8,784
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,582
+770 bearers (+27.4%)
Per 100,000 1.20
Rank movement Up 2,457 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,964 | 2,395 | 0.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,241 | 2,812 | 0.95 | +417 bearers (+17.4%) | Up 723 places |
| 2020 | #8,784 | 3,582 | 1.20 | +770 bearers (+27.4%) | Up 2,457 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 Marie 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 | #11,241 | #8,784 | 21.9% |
| Count | 2,812 | 3,582 | 27.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.95 | 1.20 | 26.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Marie bearers went from 2,812 to 3,582 (+27.4% change). The surname moved up 2,457 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,241 to #8,784.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Marie
FAQ
Marie surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Marie?
Name Census estimates that about 4,108 living Americans carry the surname Marie. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 83,436 residents.
How common is Marie?
Marie ranks #8,784 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.20 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 3,582 people with the surname Marie. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,108), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.20 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 Marie.
Has Marie become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Marie went from 2,812 recorded bearers to 3,582. That is an increase of 770 (+27.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,241 to #8,784.
What does the Census say about the background of Marie?
Among Census respondents with the surname Marie, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.1%. The next largest groups are Black (13.1%) and Hispanic (13.1%). 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 Marie in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.1% (2,438 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Marie appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (68.1%), Black (13.1%), Hispanic (13.1%). 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 Marie (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 Marie mean?
A French surname derived from the given name Marie, itself a form of the name Mary, meaning "beloved." 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 Marie (1.20 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 have the surname Marie?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.