2000
#10,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,933
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.09
Rare Last name
Marcial
Derived from the Roman name Martialis, meaning "of Mars" or "warlike," referring to the Roman god of war.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,858 Americans carry the last name Marcial. That puts it at #7,559 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.42 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 70,555 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Marcial 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
4.9K
1 in 70,555
Census rank
#7,559
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,236 bearers of the surname Marcial in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.42 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7559th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Marcial, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (5.4%) and White (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Marcial
The surname Marcial has its origins in Spain. It is derived from the Latin name "Martialis", which means "of Mars" or "martial, warlike". The name likely originated as a nickname or personal name for someone with a fierce, warrior-like personality or occupation.
The Marcial surname can be traced back to the 11th century in Spain, particularly in the regions of Catalonia and Aragon. It was a common name among the nobility and military classes during the Reconquista period, when Christian kingdoms were reclaiming territories from Moorish rule.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Marcial can be found in the "Fuero de Teruel", a medieval legal code from the 13th century. The document mentions a certain "Pedro Marcial" as a landowner in the city of Teruel, Aragon.
In the 14th century, a notable figure named Juan Marcial served as a military commander under King Pedro IV of Aragon. He is mentioned in chronicles from the time for his bravery and leadership during the War of the Two Pedros against Castile.
Another historical reference to the Marcial name is found in the "Crónica de Enrique IV" from the 15th century. It describes a nobleman named Rodrigo Marcial who was a member of the royal court and held lands in Seville.
During the 16th century, the Marcial surname gained prominence in the Spanish colonies of the Americas. One example is Bartolomé Marcial, a conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico in the 1520s.
In the 17th century, a notable figure was Diego Marcial Fernández de Velasco, a Spanish military commander who served in the Thirty Years' War and became Governor of the Netherlands.
Other notable individuals with the Marcial surname throughout history include:
- Marcial Fernández de Córdoba (1453-1512), a Spanish military leader and conquistador who participated in the conquest of Granada and the West Indies.
- Marcial Antonio López (1785-1856), a Venezuelan military officer and politician who served as President of Venezuela from 1835 to 1837.
- Marcial Pons (1847-1925), a Spanish publisher and founder of the renowned publishing house Marcial Pons Ediciones de Historia.
- Marcial Maciel (1920-2008), a controversial Mexican priest and founder of the Catholic religious congregation Legion of Christ.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Marcial
Among Census respondents with the surname Marcial, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (5.4%) and White (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Marcial 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 Marcial surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino87.9% · 3,723
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.4% · 227
- White4.0% · 170
- Black or African American1.9% · 81
- Two or more races0.8% · 34
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Marcial
Marcial 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
#7,162
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,670
+1,737 bearers (+59.2%)
Per 100,000 1.58
Rank movement Up 2,952 places
2020
#7,559
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,236
-434 bearers (-9.3%)
Per 100,000 1.42
Rank movement Down 397 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,114 | 2,933 | 1.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,162 | 4,670 | 1.58 | +1,737 bearers (+59.2%) | Up 2,952 places |
| 2020 | #7,559 | 4,236 | 1.42 | -434 bearers (-9.3%) | Down 397 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 Marcial 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 | #7,162 | #7,559 | -5.5% |
| Count | 4,670 | 4,236 | -9.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.58 | 1.42 | -10.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Marcial bearers went from 4,670 to 4,236 (-9.3% change). The surname moved down 397 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,162 to #7,559.
FAQ
Marcial surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Marcial?
Name Census estimates that about 4,858 living Americans carry the surname Marcial. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 70,555 residents.
How common is Marcial?
Marcial ranks #7,559 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.42 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 4,236 people with the surname Marcial. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,858), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.42 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.42 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 Marcial.
Has Marcial become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Marcial went from 4,670 recorded bearers to 4,236. That is a decrease of 434 (-9.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,162 to #7,559.
What does the Census say about the background of Marcial?
Among Census respondents with the surname Marcial, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (5.4%) and White (4.0%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Marcial in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.9% (3,723 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Marcial appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (87.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (5.4%), White (4.0%). 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 Marcial (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 Marcial mean?
Derived from the Roman name Martialis, meaning "of Mars" or "warlike," referring to the Roman god of war. 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 Marcial (1.42 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 Marcial?
Want to know how many people have the surname Marcial? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.