2000
#12,389
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,299
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.85
Rare Last name
Marden
A locational surname derived from places in Sussex, Devon, Kent, or Wiltshire, England, signifying "boundary hill" or "dwelling on a hill."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,197 Americans carry the last name Marden. That puts it at #14,846 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 156,010 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Marden 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 Marden with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 156,010
Census rank
#14,846
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,916 bearers of the surname Marden in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14846th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Marden, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Marden
The surname Marden is of English origin, originating from the counties of Kent and Sussex. It is derived from the Old English words "mere" meaning "lake" or "pool" and "denu" meaning "valley." The name likely referred to someone who lived in a valley near a lake or pool.
The earliest recorded mention of the name Marden dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Meredene" in reference to settlements in Kent and Sussex. These settlements, now known as Marden, likely gave rise to the surname.
In the 13th century, the name was recorded as "de Meredene," indicating it was a place name at the time. Over time, the spelling evolved to its modern form of Marden.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Marden was Sir John Marden, a knight who lived in Kent in the 14th century. He is mentioned in several historical records of the time.
Another notable figure was Thomas Marden, a wealthy merchant from Sussex who lived in the late 15th century. He was involved in the wool trade and left a substantial inheritance to his family.
In the 16th century, there was a John Marden who was a member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers in London. He is recorded in the company's archives from the mid-1500s.
The 17th century saw the birth of Robert Marden (1608-1683), a prominent Puritan minister in Massachusetts Bay Colony. He was one of the founders of the town of Woburn and served as its first minister.
In the 18th century, William Marden (1726-1796) was a successful businessman and landowner in Kent. He owned several estates and was known for his philanthropic efforts in the local community.
As the name spread from its origins in Kent and Sussex, it became more widespread throughout England and later to other parts of the English-speaking world through migration and colonization.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Marden
Among Census respondents with the surname Marden, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Marden 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 Marden surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.9% · 1,704
- Two or more races3.9% · 74
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 72
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 34
- Black or African American1.1% · 21
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Marden
Marden 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
#12,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,375
+76 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Down 546 places
2020
#14,846
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,916
-459 bearers (-19.3%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Down 1,911 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,389 | 2,299 | 0.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,935 | 2,375 | 0.81 | +76 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 546 places |
| 2020 | #14,846 | 1,916 | 0.64 | -459 bearers (-19.3%) | Down 1,911 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 Marden 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 | #12,935 | #14,846 | -14.8% |
| Count | 2,375 | 1,916 | -19.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.81 | 0.64 | -20.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Marden bearers went from 2,375 to 1,916 (-19.3% change). The surname moved down 1,911 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,935 to #14,846.
FAQ
Marden surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Marden?
Name Census estimates that about 2,197 living Americans carry the surname Marden. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 156,010 residents.
How common is Marden?
Marden ranks #14,846 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.64 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 1,916 people with the surname Marden. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,197), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.64 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 Marden.
Has Marden become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Marden went from 2,375 recorded bearers to 1,916. That is a decrease of 459 (-19.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,935 to #14,846.
What does the Census say about the background of Marden?
Among Census respondents with the surname Marden, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Marden in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.9% (1,704 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Marden appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.9%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Marden (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 Marden mean?
A locational surname derived from places in Sussex, Devon, Kent, or Wiltshire, England, signifying "boundary hill" or "dwelling on a hill." 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 Marden (0.64 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 are called Marden?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Marden, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.