2000
#17
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 672,711
First available Census row
Per 100,000 249.37
Very Common Last name
Martin
A patronymic surname derived from the given name Martin, which means "of Mars" or "warlike" in Latin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 778,273 Americans carry the last name Martin. That puts it at #22 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 227.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 440 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Martin 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 Martin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
778K
1 in 440
Census rank
#22
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
227.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
679K
very common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 678,691 bearers of the surname Martin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 227.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 22nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Martin, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.8%. The next largest groups are Black (15.4%) and Hispanic (6.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Martin
The surname Martin is of French origin, derived from the ancient Roman name Martinus, which is a derivative of the name Mars, the Roman god of war. The name became popular across Europe during the Middle Ages, largely due to the influence of Saint Martin of Tours, who lived in the 4th century AD.
The earliest recorded instances of the Martin surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears in various spellings, such as Martin, Martyn, and Marten, indicating that it was already well-established in England by the 11th century.
During the Norman Conquest of England in the 11th century, many French nobles and soldiers bearing the Martin surname accompanied William the Conqueror. This likely contributed to the widespread adoption of the name across Britain. Over time, the surname also spread to other parts of Europe, including Germany, Italy, and Spain.
One of the earliest notable figures with the Martin surname was William Martin, a 12th-century English judge and landowner. Another prominent individual was Sir Henry Martin (c. 1533-1598), an English soldier and Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
In France, the Martin surname has been associated with several notable figures throughout history. One example is André Martin (1621-1699), a French Protestant theologian and writer. Another is Étienne Martin (1913-1995), a French Catholic priest and philosopher who played a significant role in the French Resistance during World War II.
The Martin surname has also been prominent in the United States. Among the notable Americans with this surname are John Martin (1789-1854), a 19th-century painter known for his epic landscapes and biblical scenes, and Joseph William Martin Jr. (1884-1971), a prominent Republican politician who served as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1947 to 1949.
Overall, the Martin surname has a rich history spanning centuries and continents, reflecting its widespread adoption and the diverse achievements of those who have borne this name throughout the ages.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Martin
Among Census respondents with the surname Martin, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.8%. The next largest groups are Black (15.4%) and Hispanic (6.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Martin 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 Martin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.8% · 487,428
- Black or African American15.4% · 104,262
- Hispanic or Latino6.7% · 45,725
- Two or more races4.1% · 27,579
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 7,435
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 6,262
Timeline
Historical Census data for Martin
Martin 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
#20
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 702,625
+29,914 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 238.19
Rank movement Down 3 places
2020
#22
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 678,691
-23,934 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 227.06
Rank movement Down 2 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #17 | 672,711 | 249.37 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #20 | 702,625 | 238.19 | +29,914 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 3 places |
| 2020 | #22 | 678,691 | 227.06 | -23,934 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 2 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 Martin 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 | #20 | #22 | -10.0% |
| Count | 702,625 | 678,691 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 238.19 | 227.06 | -4.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Martin bearers went from 702,625 to 678,691 (-3.4% change). The surname moved down 2 positions in the national ranking, going from #20 to #22.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Martin
FAQ
Martin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Martin?
Name Census estimates that about 778,273 living Americans carry the surname Martin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 440 residents.
How common is Martin?
Martin ranks #22 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 227.06 per 100,000 residents, which is about 227 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 678,691 people with the surname Martin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (778,273), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 227.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 227.06 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 227 of them to have the surname Martin.
Has Martin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Martin went from 702,625 recorded bearers to 678,691. That is a decrease of 23,934 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #20 to #22.
What does the Census say about the background of Martin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Martin, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.8%. The next largest groups are Black (15.4%) and Hispanic (6.7%). 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 Martin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.8% (487,428 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Martin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.8%), Black (15.4%), Hispanic (6.7%). 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 Martin (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 Martin mean?
A patronymic surname derived from the given name Martin, which means "of Mars" or "warlike" in Latin. 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 Martin (227.06 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 Martin?
If you just want to know how common the surname Martin is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.