2000
#2,090
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,925
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.90
Uncommon Last name
Marcum
Derived from the French name Marc, meaning "warlike" or "warrior-like," and signifying a brave or fierce person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 17,693 Americans carry the last name Marcum. That puts it at #2,303 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 19,372 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Marcum 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
18K
1 in 19,372
Census rank
#2,303
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
15K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,429 bearers of the surname Marcum in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2303rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Marcum, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Marcum
The surname Marcum originates from England and dates back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "meare" meaning boundary or boundary stone, and "cumb" meaning a valley or hollow, suggesting that the name may have referred to someone who lived in a valley near a boundary marker.
The earliest recorded instances of the Marcum surname can be found in various medieval records, such as the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1195, where a Roger de Mereccumbe is mentioned. This spelling variation indicates the name's evolution over time.
In the 13th century, records from Shropshire mention a Richard de Merkomb, while in Yorkshire, the name appears as Merkcumbe. These variations likely arose due to regional dialectal differences and the fluid nature of spelling during that era.
The Marcum name has also been associated with place names, such as Markham in Nottinghamshire, which was recorded as Mercham in the Domesday Book of 1086. This suggests a potential connection between the surname and the location.
One notable bearer of the Marcum surname was John Marcum, a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of Bristol during the 15th century (c. 1420-1490). He played an essential role in the city's governance and trade relations.
Another historical figure was Thomas Marcum (c. 1550-1625), an English clergyman and author known for his work "The Marrow of Ecclesiastical History" published in 1609.
In the 17th century, William Marcum (c. 1620-1678) was a respected landowner and member of the gentry in Gloucestershire, England, owning considerable estates in the region.
The name also gained prominence in the American colonies, with Richard Marcum (c. 1675-1738) being one of the earliest recorded immigrants bearing the surname. He settled in Virginia and became a prosperous tobacco planter.
During the 18th century, Samuel Marcum (1725-1812) was a notable figure in the American Revolutionary War, serving as a militia captain and later as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the Marcum surname throughout history, highlighting its enduring presence and potential connections to various locations and occupations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Marcum
Among Census respondents with the surname Marcum, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Marcum 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 Marcum surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 14,214
- Two or more races3.8% · 580
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 346
- Black or African American0.9% · 134
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 84
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 71
Timeline
Historical Census data for Marcum
Marcum 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
#2,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,246
+321 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 5.51
Rank movement Down 154 places
2020
#2,303
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,429
-817 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 5.16
Rank movement Down 59 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,090 | 15,925 | 5.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,244 | 16,246 | 5.51 | +321 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 154 places |
| 2020 | #2,303 | 15,429 | 5.16 | -817 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 59 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 Marcum 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 | #2,244 | #2,303 | -2.6% |
| Count | 16,246 | 15,429 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 5.51 | 5.16 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Marcum bearers went from 16,246 to 15,429 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 59 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,244 to #2,303.
FAQ
Marcum surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Marcum?
Name Census estimates that about 17,693 living Americans carry the surname Marcum. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 19,372 residents.
How common is Marcum?
Marcum ranks #2,303 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.16 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 15,429 people with the surname Marcum. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (17,693), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.16 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Marcum.
Has Marcum become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Marcum went from 16,246 recorded bearers to 15,429. That is a decrease of 817 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,244 to #2,303.
What does the Census say about the background of Marcum?
Among Census respondents with the surname Marcum, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Marcum in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (14,214 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Marcum appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Marcum (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 Marcum mean?
Derived from the French name Marc, meaning "warlike" or "warrior-like," and signifying a brave or fierce person. 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 Marcum (5.16 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 common is the surname Marcum?
See how many people have the surname Marcum on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.