Find out how popular the last name Mar is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Mar.

Mar, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Mar surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Mar in America

Mar is the 6342nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Mar surname appeared 5,375 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Mar.

We can also compare 2010 data for Mar to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Mar

The surname Mar has its origins in the Spanish region of Aragon, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Latin word "mare," meaning "sea," possibly referring to individuals who lived near the coastline or were involved in maritime activities.

In medieval Spain, the name Mar was particularly prevalent in the areas of Zaragoza and Teruel. It is recorded in various historical documents, such as the Fueros de Aragón, a collection of regional laws and privileges from the 13th century.

One of the earliest known references to the surname Mar can be found in the Cartulario de Poblet, a 12th-century manuscript from the Poblet Monastery in Catalonia. This document mentions a certain "Petrus de Mar" as a witness to a land transaction.

The Mar surname has also been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the most prominent was Pedro Ruiz de Mar (c. 1400-1477), a Spanish military commander who served under King Juan II of Aragon and played a crucial role in the conquest of Naples.

Another notable bearer of the Mar surname was Beltrán de Mar (c. 1510-1585), a Spanish explorer and navigator who accompanied Francisco Pizarro on his expeditions to Peru and participated in the conquest of the Inca Empire.

In the realm of literature, Pedro Calderón de la Barca (1600-1681), one of the most celebrated playwrights of the Spanish Golden Age, was born with the surname Mar, although he later adopted the more well-known "Calderón de la Barca" name.

The Mar surname has also been associated with various place names, such as Mar de Plata in Argentina, which translates to "Sea of Silver," and Castellmar, a municipality in the province of Castellón, Spain, derived from the combination of "castillo" (castle) and "mar" (sea).

Throughout the centuries, the Mar surname has undergone various spelling variations, including Marr, Marre, and Marres, but the core meaning and origins have remained consistent, reflecting the deep-rooted maritime heritage of this Spanish name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Mar

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Mar.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Mar was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Mar has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Mar was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Mar, please contact us.

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