2000
#125
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 177,213
First available Census row
Per 100,000 65.69
Common Last name
Marshall
An occupational surname referring to someone who looked after horses or served as a marshal.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 201,495 Americans carry the last name Marshall. That puts it at #142 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 58.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,701 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Marshall 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 Marshall with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
201K
1 in 1,701
Census rank
#142
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
58.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
176K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 175,713 bearers of the surname Marshall in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 58.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Marshall, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.6%. The next largest groups are Black (26.7%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Marshall
The surname MARSHALL is of Old French origin, derived from the word "mareschal", meaning "horse servant" or "keeper of horses". It is believed to have emerged in the 11th century during the Norman conquest of England.
The earliest recorded instances of the MARSHALL surname can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Marescallus" and "Marescaldus". These entries likely referred to individuals who held the position of "marshal" within the royal or noble households, responsible for overseeing the stables and horses.
As the surname spread throughout England, it took on various spellings such as Marshale, Marchal, and Marschall. Over time, the spelling MARSHALL became the most widely adopted form.
One of the earliest known bearers of the MARSHALL surname was John Marshall (c. 1165-1235), a prominent English baron and landowner who served as the Marshal of England under King John and King Henry III.
Another notable figure was William Marshall (c. 1147-1219), a celebrated English knight and statesman who served as the Earl of Pembroke and Regent of England. He played a crucial role in the Magna Carta negotiations and is considered one of the greatest knights of the Middle Ages.
In the 16th century, John Marshall (1534-1597) was an influential English Protestant reformer and dean of Christ Church, Oxford. He worked alongside Archbishop Matthew Parker in revising the Book of Common Prayer.
During the American Revolution, John Marshall (1755-1835) was a prominent Founding Father and the fourth Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court. His influential decisions helped shape the country's legal system and establish the principle of judicial review.
Thomas Riley Marshall (1854-1925) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 28th Vice President of the United States under President Woodrow Wilson from 1913 to 1921.
Throughout history, the MARSHALL surname has been associated with various notable individuals, including military leaders, politicians, lawyers, and religious figures, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and accomplishments of those who have carried this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Marshall
Among Census respondents with the surname Marshall, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.6%. The next largest groups are Black (26.7%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Marshall 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 Marshall surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White63.6% · 111,751
- Black or African American26.7% · 46,864
- Two or more races4.6% · 8,032
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 6,292
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1,535
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 1,239
Timeline
Historical Census data for Marshall
Marshall 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
#139
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 183,922
+6,709 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 62.35
Rank movement Down 14 places
2020
#142
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 175,713
-8,209 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 58.79
Rank movement Down 3 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #125 | 177,213 | 65.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139 | 183,922 | 62.35 | +6,709 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 14 places |
| 2020 | #142 | 175,713 | 58.79 | -8,209 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 3 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 Marshall 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 | #139 | #142 | -2.2% |
| Count | 183,922 | 175,713 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 62.35 | 58.79 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Marshall bearers went from 183,922 to 175,713 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 3 positions in the national ranking, going from #139 to #142.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Marshall
FAQ
Marshall surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Marshall?
Name Census estimates that about 201,495 living Americans carry the surname Marshall. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,701 residents.
How common is Marshall?
Marshall ranks #142 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 58.79 per 100,000 residents, which is about 59 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 175,713 people with the surname Marshall. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (201,495), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 58.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 58.79 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 59 of them to have the surname Marshall.
Has Marshall become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Marshall went from 183,922 recorded bearers to 175,713. That is a decrease of 8,209 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #139 to #142.
What does the Census say about the background of Marshall?
Among Census respondents with the surname Marshall, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.6%. The next largest groups are Black (26.7%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Marshall in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.6% (111,751 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Marshall appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (63.6%), Black (26.7%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Marshall (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 Marshall mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who looked after horses or served as a marshal. 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 Marshall (58.79 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 Marshall?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.