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

Marco, 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 Marco surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Marco in America

Marco is the 10437th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Marco surname appeared 3,082 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Marco.

We can also compare 2010 data for Marco 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 Marco

The surname Marco is of Italian origin, derived from the Latin name Marcus, meaning "consecrated to the god Mars." It emerged as a personal name during the Roman era and later became a common surname in various regions of Italy.

Marco is believed to have originated in the central and northern parts of Italy, particularly in areas such as Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna, and Lombardy. It is also found in other Italian regions, reflecting the historical migration and settlement patterns of people bearing this name.

In the Middle Ages, the name Marco appears in various historical records and manuscripts, including the famous Florentine tax records known as the "Catasto" from the 14th century. This suggests that the Marco surname was well-established in Italy during this time period.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Marco surname can be traced back to the 12th century, when a nobleman named Guglielmo Marco was mentioned in a document from the city of Pisa in 1189.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Marco. One of the most famous is Marco Polo, the renowned Venetian merchant and explorer who traveled to Asia and documented his experiences in the book "Il Milione" (The Travels of Marco Polo). He lived from 1254 to 1324.

Another prominent figure was Gian Giacomo Marco, an Italian cartographer and cosmographer who lived in the late 15th century. He is best known for his influential portolan charts and maps, which contributed significantly to the development of cartography during the Age of Exploration.

In the realm of art, the Marco surname is associated with the Italian painter and printmaker Dente di Marco, who was active in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. He is renowned for his engravings and woodcuts, particularly his contributions to the illustration of Dante's Divine Comedy.

During the Renaissance period, the Marco family produced several notable figures, including the architect and sculptor Pietro Marco, who worked in Rome in the 16th century and contributed to the design of various churches and palaces.

In more recent times, the Marco surname has been linked to individuals such as Antonio Marco, an Italian mathematician and physicist from the 18th century, who made significant contributions to the field of optics and the study of light.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Marco

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

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 Marco 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 Marco 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 Marco was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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