2000
#357
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 79,951
First available Census row
Per 100,000 29.64
Common Last name
Marquez
A Spanish surname derived from the given name Marco, which means "of Mars" or "warlike."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 121,615 Americans carry the last name Marquez. That puts it at #291 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 35.48 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,818 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Marquez 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 Marquez with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
122K
1 in 2,818
Census rank
#291
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
35.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106,054 bearers of the surname Marquez in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 35.48 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 291st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Marquez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.9%. The next largest groups are White (5.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Marquez
The surname Marquez is of Spanish origin, derived from the medieval personal name "Marcho," which was a Latinized form of the Germanic name "Mark." It is believed to have originated in the region of Castile in central Spain during the Middle Ages.
The name Marquez is thought to be a patronymic surname, meaning it was initially derived from the given name of the father or ancestor. In this case, it likely originated as a way to distinguish individuals by identifying them as the sons or descendants of someone named Marcho or Mark.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Marquez can be found in the "Becerro de las Behetrías de Castilla," a medieval document from the 14th century that listed landowners and their properties in the region of Castile. This document mentions individuals with the surname Marquez, indicating the name's presence in the area during that time.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Marquez. One of the most famous was Gabriel Garcia Marquez (1927-2014), a Colombian novelist, screenwriter, and journalist who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1982. His works, such as "One Hundred Years of Solitude" and "Love in the Time of Cholera," are considered literary masterpieces.
Another prominent figure with the surname was Antonio Marquez Castellanos (1828-1889), a Mexican journalist, politician, and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Mexico from 1876 to 1879.
In the realm of sports, Antonio Marquez (1983-present) is a Mexican professional boxer who has held multiple world championships in the super flyweight and bantamweight divisions.
The name Marquez can also be found in historical records from other Spanish-speaking regions, such as the Philippines. One notable figure was Rafael Marquez (1888-1945), a Filipino politician and revolutionary who fought against Spanish colonial rule and later served as a member of the Philippine Senate.
Additionally, Pedro Marquez (1909-1959) was a Venezuelan composer and conductor known for his contributions to the development of Venezuelan classical music.
These examples illustrate the widespread presence of the surname Marquez throughout various regions and time periods, reflecting its Spanish origins and the historical significance of individuals who bore this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Marquez
Among Census respondents with the surname Marquez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.9%. The next largest groups are White (5.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Marquez 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 Marquez surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino89.9% · 95,295
- White5.4% · 5,725
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.2% · 3,417
- Two or more races0.6% · 622
- Black or African American0.6% · 588
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 407
Timeline
Historical Census data for Marquez
Marquez 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
#287
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107,533
+27,582 bearers (+34.5%)
Per 100,000 36.45
Rank movement Up 70 places
2020
#291
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106,054
-1,479 bearers (-1.4%)
Per 100,000 35.48
Rank movement Down 4 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #357 | 79,951 | 29.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #287 | 107,533 | 36.45 | +27,582 bearers (+34.5%) | Up 70 places |
| 2020 | #291 | 106,054 | 35.48 | -1,479 bearers (-1.4%) | Down 4 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 Marquez 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 | #287 | #291 | -1.4% |
| Count | 107,533 | 106,054 | -1.4% |
| Per 100K | 36.45 | 35.48 | -2.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Marquez bearers went from 107,533 to 106,054 (-1.4% change). The surname moved down 4 positions in the national ranking, going from #287 to #291.
FAQ
Marquez surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Marquez?
Name Census estimates that about 121,615 living Americans carry the surname Marquez. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,818 residents.
How common is Marquez?
Marquez ranks #291 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 35.48 per 100,000 residents, which is about 35 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 106,054 people with the surname Marquez. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (121,615), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 35.48 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 35.48 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 35 of them to have the surname Marquez.
Has Marquez become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Marquez went from 107,533 recorded bearers to 106,054. That is a decrease of 1,479 (-1.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #287 to #291.
What does the Census say about the background of Marquez?
Among Census respondents with the surname Marquez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.9%. The next largest groups are White (5.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Marquez in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.9% (95,295 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Marquez appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (89.9%), White (5.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Marquez (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 Marquez mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the given name Marco, which means "of Mars" or "warlike." 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 Marquez (35.48 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 last name Marquez?
See how many Americans have the surname Marquez on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.