2000
#10,937
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,670
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.99
Rare Last name
Marcy
Derived from the French place name Marcy, which comes from the Latin word "mercium," meaning "market" or "trading place."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,715 Americans carry the last name Marcy. That puts it at #12,500 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 126,245 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Marcy 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 Marcy with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 126,245
Census rank
#12,500
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,368 bearers of the surname Marcy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12500th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Marcy, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Marcy
The surname Marcy has its roots in France, tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated as a locational name, derived from the French place name Marcy, which itself comes from the Gallo-Roman personal name Marcellus or Marcius.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Marcy can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The Domesday Book mentions a landowner named William de Marci, suggesting the presence of the name in Normandy, France, during that period.
In the 13th century, the name Marcy appeared in various historical records across Europe. For instance, a knight named Raoul de Marcy is mentioned in the French chronicles of the Crusades, participating in the Seventh Crusade from 1248 to 1254.
The name Marcy has also been associated with notable individuals throughout history. One prominent example is Jean de Marcy, a French diplomat and statesman who lived from 1535 to 1608. He served as the Ambassador of France to the Ottoman Empire and played a significant role in negotiating treaties between the two nations.
Another individual of note is Claude-Louis-Michel de Marcy, a French military officer and engineer born in 1770. He was instrumental in the construction of several fortifications and military installations during the Napoleonic Era.
In England, the name Marcy has been recorded as early as the 16th century. Sir Henry Marcy, a prominent landowner and Member of Parliament, was born in 1555 and owned estates in Berkshire.
Over time, the spelling of the name has evolved, with variations such as Marcie, Marcey, and Marcie appearing in historical records. Additionally, the name has been associated with various place names, including Marcy-l'Étoile in France and Marcy Creek in Pennsylvania, USA.
It is worth noting that the surname Marcy has been borne by several other notable individuals throughout history, including authors, artists, and military figures, further solidifying its presence across various regions and time periods.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Marcy
Among Census respondents with the surname Marcy, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Marcy 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 Marcy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.3% · 2,067
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 94
- Two or more races3.7% · 87
- Black or African American3.5% · 84
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 27
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Marcy
Marcy 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
#12,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,558
-112 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Down 1,245 places
2020
#12,500
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,368
-190 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Down 318 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,937 | 2,670 | 0.99 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,182 | 2,558 | 0.87 | -112 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 1,245 places |
| 2020 | #12,500 | 2,368 | 0.79 | -190 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 318 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 Marcy 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 | #12,182 | #12,500 | -2.6% |
| Count | 2,558 | 2,368 | -7.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.87 | 0.79 | -8.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Marcy bearers went from 2,558 to 2,368 (-7.4% change). The surname moved down 318 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,182 to #12,500.
FAQ
Marcy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Marcy?
Name Census estimates that about 2,715 living Americans carry the surname Marcy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 126,245 residents.
How common is Marcy?
Marcy ranks #12,500 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.79 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 2,368 people with the surname Marcy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,715), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.79 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 Marcy.
Has Marcy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Marcy went from 2,558 recorded bearers to 2,368. That is a decrease of 190 (-7.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,182 to #12,500.
What does the Census say about the background of Marcy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Marcy, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (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 Marcy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.3% (2,067 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Marcy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.3%), Hispanic (4.0%), Two or More Races (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 Marcy (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 Marcy mean?
Derived from the French place name Marcy, which comes from the Latin word "mercium," meaning "market" or "trading place." 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 Marcy (0.79 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 Americans have the surname Marcy?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.