2000
#7,120
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,327
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.60
Rare Last name
Mar
A surname of Arabic origin meaning "one who passes by" or "one who is transient."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,300 Americans carry the last name Mar. That puts it at #6,020 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 54,405 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mar 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 Mar with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.3K
1 in 54,405
Census rank
#6,020
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,494 bearers of the surname Mar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6020th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mar, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 50.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (29.8%) and White (10.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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 It is recorded in various historical documents, such as the Fueros de Aragón, a collection of regional laws and privileges from the 13th century.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mar
Among Census respondents with the surname Mar, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 50.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (29.8%) and White (10.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Mar 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 Mar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander50.8% · 2,791
- Hispanic or Latino29.8% · 1,639
- White10.8% · 595
- Two or more races5.2% · 286
- Black or African American3.2% · 176
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mar
Mar 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
#6,342
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,375
+1,048 bearers (+24.2%)
Per 100,000 1.82
Rank movement Up 778 places
2020
#6,020
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,494
+119 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 1.84
Rank movement Up 322 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,120 | 4,327 | 1.60 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,342 | 5,375 | 1.82 | +1,048 bearers (+24.2%) | Up 778 places |
| 2020 | #6,020 | 5,494 | 1.84 | +119 bearers (+2.2%) | Up 322 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 Mar 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 | #6,342 | #6,020 | 5.1% |
| Count | 5,375 | 5,494 | 2.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.82 | 1.84 | 1.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mar bearers went from 5,375 to 5,494 (+2.2% change). The surname moved up 322 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,342 to #6,020.
FAQ
Mar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mar?
Name Census estimates that about 6,300 living Americans carry the surname Mar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 54,405 residents.
How common is Mar?
Mar ranks #6,020 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.84 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,494 people with the surname Mar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,300), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.84 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Mar.
Has Mar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mar went from 5,375 recorded bearers to 5,494. That is an increase of 119 (+2.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,342 to #6,020.
What does the Census say about the background of Mar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mar, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 50.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (29.8%) and White (10.8%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.8% (2,791 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (50.8%), Hispanic (29.8%), White (10.8%). 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 Mar (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 Mar mean?
A surname of Arabic origin meaning "one who passes by" or "one who is transient." 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 Mar (1.84 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 Americans have the surname Mar?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.