2000
#10,519
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,798
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.04
Rare Last name
Marco
An Italian surname derived from the given name Marco, which originated from the Latin name Marcus, meaning "dedicated to Mars."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,431 Americans carry the last name Marco. That puts it at #10,248 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.00 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 99,899 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Marco 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 Marco with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.4K
1 in 99,899
Census rank
#10,248
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,992 bearers of the surname Marco in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.00 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10248th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Marco, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (16.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Marco
Among Census respondents with the surname Marco, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (16.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Marco 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 Marco surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.3% · 2,164
- Hispanic or Latino16.0% · 479
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.8% · 175
- Black or African American3.0% · 91
- Two or more races2.3% · 69
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Marco
Marco 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
#10,437
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,082
+284 bearers (+10.2%)
Per 100,000 1.04
Rank movement Up 82 places
2020
#10,248
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,992
-90 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 1.00
Rank movement Up 189 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,519 | 2,798 | 1.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,437 | 3,082 | 1.04 | +284 bearers (+10.2%) | Up 82 places |
| 2020 | #10,248 | 2,992 | 1.00 | -90 bearers (-2.9%) | Up 189 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 Marco 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 | #10,437 | #10,248 | 1.8% |
| Count | 3,082 | 2,992 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.04 | 1.00 | -3.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Marco bearers went from 3,082 to 2,992 (-2.9% change). The surname moved up 189 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,437 to #10,248.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Marco
FAQ
Marco surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Marco?
Name Census estimates that about 3,431 living Americans carry the surname Marco. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 99,899 residents.
How common is Marco?
Marco ranks #10,248 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.00 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 2,992 people with the surname Marco. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,431), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.00 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 Marco.
Has Marco become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Marco went from 3,082 recorded bearers to 2,992. That is a decrease of 90 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,437 to #10,248.
What does the Census say about the background of Marco?
Among Census respondents with the surname Marco, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (16.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.8%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Marco in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.3% (2,164 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Marco appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.3%), Hispanic (16.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (5.8%). 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 Marco (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 Marco mean?
An Italian surname derived from the given name Marco, which originated from the Latin name Marcus, meaning "dedicated to Mars." 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 Marco (1.00 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 share the surname Marco?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.