2000
#5,534
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,771
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.14
Rare Last name
Marcotte
A French occupational surname referring to someone who lived near a hammer mill or smithy.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,387 Americans carry the last name Marcotte. That puts it at #5,953 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 53,664 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Marcotte 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
6.4K
1 in 53,664
Census rank
#5,953
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,570 bearers of the surname Marcotte in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5953rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Marcotte, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Marcotte
The surname Marcotte has its origins in France, where it first emerged as a locational name during the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "marcot," which referred to a small thicket or grove of trees. This suggests that the name was originally given to someone who lived near or in a small wooded area.
In its earliest forms, the name was often spelled as "Marcot" or "Marcott." These variations can be found in various historical records from the Middle Ages, such as parish registers and censuses. One of the earliest known references to the name is in a document from the year 1236, which mentions a landowner named Hugues Marcot in the region of Normandy.
As the name spread across France, it evolved into its modern form of "Marcotte." This spelling became more common in the 16th and 17th centuries. During this period, several notable individuals bore the Marcotte surname. For example, Jean Marcotte (1510-1567) was a French magistrate and jurist who served as a judge in the Parlement of Paris.
Another prominent figure was Étienne Marcotte (1619-1696), a French Jesuit priest and missionary who traveled to New France (present-day Canada) in the 17th century. He was instrumental in establishing missions and converting indigenous people to Christianity in the region around Quebec.
In the 18th century, Jacques Marcotte (1728-1803) was a successful merchant and landowner in the town of Montréal, Quebec. He was known for his business acumen and his role in the local community.
As the name spread beyond France, it also took root in other parts of Europe and eventually in the Americas. One notable bearer of the Marcotte name was Frédéric Marcotte (1886-1962), a Belgian artist and painter who was a prominent figure in the Flemish Expressionist movement.
Another individual of note was Marguerite Marcotte (1909-1992), a French-Canadian writer and journalist who was born in Quebec. She was known for her novels and short stories that explored themes of rural life and the experiences of women in French-Canadian society.
These are just a few examples of the many individuals throughout history who have borne the surname Marcotte. While its origins can be traced back to medieval France, the name has since spread across the globe, reflecting the diverse journeys and stories of those who carry it.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Marcotte
Among Census respondents with the surname Marcotte, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Marcotte 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 Marcotte surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 5,067
- Two or more races3.7% · 206
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 204
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 41
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 32
- Black or African American0.4% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Marcotte
Marcotte 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
#5,838
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,923
+152 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 2.01
Rank movement Down 304 places
2020
#5,953
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,570
-353 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 1.86
Rank movement Down 115 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,534 | 5,771 | 2.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,838 | 5,923 | 2.01 | +152 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 304 places |
| 2020 | #5,953 | 5,570 | 1.86 | -353 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 115 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 Marcotte 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 | #5,838 | #5,953 | -2.0% |
| Count | 5,923 | 5,570 | -6.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.01 | 1.86 | -7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Marcotte bearers went from 5,923 to 5,570 (-6.0% change). The surname moved down 115 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,838 to #5,953.
FAQ
Marcotte surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Marcotte?
Name Census estimates that about 6,387 living Americans carry the surname Marcotte. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 53,664 residents.
How common is Marcotte?
Marcotte ranks #5,953 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.86 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 5,570 people with the surname Marcotte. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,387), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.86 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 Marcotte.
Has Marcotte become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Marcotte went from 5,923 recorded bearers to 5,570. That is a decrease of 353 (-6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,838 to #5,953.
What does the Census say about the background of Marcotte?
Among Census respondents with the surname Marcotte, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Marcotte in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (5,067 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Marcotte appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Marcotte (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 Marcotte mean?
A French occupational surname referring to someone who lived near a hammer mill or smithy. 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 Marcotte (1.86 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 have the last name Marcotte?
Want to know how many people are called Marcotte? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.