2000
#1,974
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,783
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.22
Uncommon Last name
Marrero
A Spanish toponymic surname indicating someone from Marrero, a municipality in Tegueste, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 25,307 Americans carry the last name Marrero. That puts it at #1,586 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.38 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 13,544 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Marrero 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
25K
1 in 13,544
Census rank
#1,586
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
22K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 22,069 bearers of the surname Marrero in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.38 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1586th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Marrero, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.7%. The next largest groups are White (7.8%) and Black (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Marrero
The surname Marrero is of Spanish origin, traced back to the regions of Canary Islands and Cuba in the late 15th century. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish word "marrera," which referred to a rocky coastal area or cliffs near the sea. This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupation-based surname given to individuals who lived or worked in such coastal regions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Marrero surname can be found in the census records of Gran Canaria, one of the Canary Islands, from the late 1400s. The name appears to have been particularly prominent in the town of Arucas, where several families with the Marrero surname were documented.
As the Spanish exploration and colonization of the Americas began, the Marrero name spread to various parts of the Caribbean and Latin America, including Cuba. In the early 16th century, there are records of individuals with the Marrero surname residing in Havana and other parts of Cuba.
Among notable historical figures with the Marrero surname, Juan Marrero (1680-1745) was a Spanish military officer who served as the governor of Puerto Rico from 1723 to 1734. Another prominent individual was Diego Marrero (1760-1835), a Cuban landowner and military leader who played a role in the resistance against the British occupation of Havana in the early 19th century.
In the 19th century, the Marrero name gained recognition through the work of Andrés Marrero (1815-1890), a Cuban poet and journalist who wrote extensively about the island's culture and independence movement. His contemporary, Pedro Marrero (1820-1895), was a Cuban lawyer and politician who served as the president of the Cuban Revolutionary Party during the struggle for independence from Spain.
One of the most notable individuals with the Marrero surname in the 20th century was Rafael Marrero (1920-2001), a Puerto Rican artist and sculptor renowned for his works depicting the island's cultural heritage and natural landscapes. His sculptures can be found in various public spaces and museums across Puerto Rico and the United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Marrero
Among Census respondents with the surname Marrero, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.7%. The next largest groups are White (7.8%) and Black (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Marrero 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 Marrero surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino88.7% · 19,586
- White7.8% · 1,726
- Black or African American2.3% · 504
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 144
- Two or more races0.4% · 86
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 23
Timeline
Historical Census data for Marrero
Marrero 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
#1,706
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,109
+4,326 bearers (+25.8%)
Per 100,000 7.16
Rank movement Up 268 places
2020
#1,586
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,069
+960 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 7.38
Rank movement Up 120 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,974 | 16,783 | 6.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,706 | 21,109 | 7.16 | +4,326 bearers (+25.8%) | Up 268 places |
| 2020 | #1,586 | 22,069 | 7.38 | +960 bearers (+4.5%) | Up 120 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 Marrero 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 | #1,706 | #1,586 | 7.0% |
| Count | 21,109 | 22,069 | 4.5% |
| Per 100K | 7.16 | 7.38 | 3.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Marrero bearers went from 21,109 to 22,069 (+4.5% change). The surname moved up 120 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,706 to #1,586.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Marrero
FAQ
Marrero surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Marrero?
Name Census estimates that about 25,307 living Americans carry the surname Marrero. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 13,544 residents.
How common is Marrero?
Marrero ranks #1,586 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.38 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 22,069 people with the surname Marrero. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (25,307), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.38 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.38 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Marrero.
Has Marrero become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Marrero went from 21,109 recorded bearers to 22,069. That is an increase of 960 (+4.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,706 to #1,586.
What does the Census say about the background of Marrero?
Among Census respondents with the surname Marrero, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.7%. The next largest groups are White (7.8%) and Black (2.3%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Marrero in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.7% (19,586 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Marrero appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (88.7%), White (7.8%), Black (2.3%). 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 Marrero (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 Marrero mean?
A Spanish toponymic surname indicating someone from Marrero, a municipality in Tegueste, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands. 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 Marrero (7.38 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 share the surname Marrero?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.