2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Mardigian
Armenian surname meaning "son of Martin".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 111 Americans carry the last name Mardigian. That puts it at #156,449 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,087,877 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mardigian 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
111
1 in 3,087,877
Census rank
#156,449
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
97
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 97 bearers of the surname Mardigian in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156449th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mardigian, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mardigian
The surname Mardigian originated in the Armenian regions of Western Asia, particularly in the areas that are now modern-day Turkey and Armenia. It can be traced back to the late medieval period, around the 13th to 15th centuries. The name is derived from the Armenian word "mardig," which means "brave" or "courageous."
One of the earliest known references to the name Mardigian can be found in the Armenian Catholicos Chronicles, a collection of historical records maintained by the Armenian Apostolic Church. These chronicles mention a notable figure named Mardig Mardigian, who lived in the late 14th century and was a prominent military commander during the reign of the Armenian ruler, Leo V.
In the 16th century, there are records of a family with the surname Mardigian residing in the Armenian Quarter of Istanbul, which was then known as Constantinople. This family was known for their skilled craftsmanship and played a significant role in the local Armenian community.
During the Ottoman Empire era, the name Mardigian appeared in various court documents and tax records, particularly in regions with substantial Armenian populations, such as Cilicia and Anatolia. One notable example is Harutyun Mardigian, a merchant and philanthropist who lived in the late 17th century and contributed greatly to the construction of schools and churches in his hometown.
In the 19th century, the Mardigian surname gained prominence with the birth of Mikhail Mardigian (1828-1903), a renowned Armenian writer and educator. He was instrumental in preserving and promoting Armenian literature and culture during a time of immense turmoil for the Armenian people.
Another notable figure from that era was Aghavni Mardigian (1859-1935), a prominent educator and feminist activist who fought for women's rights and established several schools for girls in various Armenian communities across the Ottoman Empire.
As Armenians dispersed throughout the world due to various historical events, such as the Armenian Genocide, the Mardigian surname spread to different countries, including the United States, France, and Russia. One famous figure with this surname was the American artist Rouben Mardigian (1913-1993), known for his abstract expressionist paintings and his contributions to the New York art scene in the mid-20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mardigian
Among Census respondents with the surname Mardigian, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Mardigian 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 Mardigian surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.8% · 91
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 4
- Two or more races2.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mardigian
Mardigian 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+16 bearers (+15.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,604 places
2020
#156,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 97
-24 bearers (-19.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 18,145 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | +16 bearers (+15.2%) | Up 6,604 places |
| 2020 | #156,449 | 97 | 0.03 | -24 bearers (-19.8%) | Down 18,145 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 Mardigian 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 | #138,304 | #156,449 | -13.1% |
| Count | 121 | 97 | -19.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -18.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mardigian bearers went from 121 to 97 (-19.8% change). The surname moved down 18,145 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #156,449.
FAQ
Mardigian surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mardigian?
Name Census estimates that about 111 living Americans carry the surname Mardigian. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,087,877 residents.
How common is Mardigian?
Mardigian ranks #156,449 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 97 people with the surname Mardigian. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (111), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Mardigian.
Has Mardigian become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mardigian went from 121 recorded bearers to 97. That is a decrease of 24 (-19.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #156,449.
What does the Census say about the background of Mardigian?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mardigian, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Mardigian in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.8% (91 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mardigian appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.8%), Hispanic (4.1%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Mardigian (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 Mardigian mean?
Armenian surname meaning "son of Martin". 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 Mardigian (0.03 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 surname Mardigian?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.