2000
#9,420
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,166
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.17
Rare Last name
Marable
Derived from a French place name meaning "marble quarry" or from the French word "marable," meaning "marble-like."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,877 Americans carry the last name Marable. That puts it at #9,248 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 88,407 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Marable 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
3.9K
1 in 88,407
Census rank
#9,248
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,381 bearers of the surname Marable in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9248th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Marable, the largest self-reported group is Black at 61.2%. The next largest groups are White (27.9%) and Two or More Races (6.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Marable
The surname Marable is believed to have originated in England during the Middle Ages. It is thought to be derived from an Old English word "mara," meaning "a mare" or a female horse. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who worked with horses or was associated with horse breeding.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions a person named "Marebold" residing in Cambridgeshire. This spelling variation, along with others like "Marabil" and "Marrable," indicates the name's evolution over time.
In the 13th century, records from the county of Norfolk mention a landowner named William Marable, suggesting that by this time, the name had become an established surname within certain regions of England.
During the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the name was John Marable (1510-1585), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Master of University College, Oxford.
Another historical figure with this surname was William Marable (1697-1764), a British naval officer who served as a captain in the Royal Navy during the 18th century.
In the 19th century, Samuel Marable (1820-1892) was a prominent American educator and minister who played a significant role in establishing several educational institutions for African Americans in the southern United States.
Another individual of note was Eunice Marable (1865-1943), an American educator and activist who fought for women's rights and racial equality in the early 20th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name being associated with a place name was the village of Marable in Northamptonshire, England, which was mentioned in records dating back to the 14th century.
While the surname Marable is not among the most common surnames globally, it has a rich history dating back to medieval England and has been borne by notable individuals across various fields throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Marable
Among Census respondents with the surname Marable, the largest self-reported group is Black at 61.2%. The next largest groups are White (27.9%) and Two or More Races (6.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Marable 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 Marable surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American61.2% · 2,069
- White27.9% · 942
- Two or more races6.6% · 223
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 111
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Marable
Marable 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
#9,265
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,514
+348 bearers (+11.0%)
Per 100,000 1.19
Rank movement Up 155 places
2020
#9,248
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,381
-133 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 1.13
Rank movement Up 17 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,420 | 3,166 | 1.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,265 | 3,514 | 1.19 | +348 bearers (+11.0%) | Up 155 places |
| 2020 | #9,248 | 3,381 | 1.13 | -133 bearers (-3.8%) | Up 17 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 Marable 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 | #9,265 | #9,248 | 0.2% |
| Count | 3,514 | 3,381 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.19 | 1.13 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Marable bearers went from 3,514 to 3,381 (-3.8% change). The surname moved up 17 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,265 to #9,248.
FAQ
Marable surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Marable?
Name Census estimates that about 3,877 living Americans carry the surname Marable. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 88,407 residents.
How common is Marable?
Marable ranks #9,248 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.13 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,381 people with the surname Marable. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,877), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.13 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Marable.
Has Marable become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Marable went from 3,514 recorded bearers to 3,381. That is a decrease of 133 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,265 to #9,248.
What does the Census say about the background of Marable?
Among Census respondents with the surname Marable, the largest self-reported group is Black at 61.2%. The next largest groups are White (27.9%) and Two or More Races (6.6%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Marable in the 2020 Census, accounting for 61.2% (2,069 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Marable appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (61.2%), White (27.9%), Two or More Races (6.6%). 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 Marable (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 Marable mean?
Derived from a French place name meaning "marble quarry" or from the French word "marable," meaning "marble-like." 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 Marable (1.13 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 Marable?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.