2000
#9,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,099
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.15
Rare Last name
Mardis
A French occupational surname referring to someone who lived in a marsh or swamp.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,105 Americans carry the last name Mardis. That puts it at #11,176 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.91 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 110,388 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mardis 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
3.1K
1 in 110,388
Census rank
#11,176
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,708 bearers of the surname Mardis in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.91 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11176th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mardis, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Black (11.0%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mardis
The surname Mardis is believed to have originated in France, with its roots dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "mardi," meaning Tuesday, which was likely used as a nickname for someone born on that day or associated with that day for some reason.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where a person named "Martinus de Mardi" is listed as a landowner in Normandy, France. The use of the preposition "de" suggests that Mardis was initially a locational surname, referring to someone who hailed from a place called Mardi or a variation of that name.
As the name spread across Europe, various spellings emerged, including Mardy, Mardee, and Mardey. These variations were primarily influenced by regional dialects and the way the name was pronounced in different areas.
One notable figure bearing the Mardis surname was Étienne Mardis, a French merchant born in 1638 in Lyon, France. He was known for his successful trading ventures with the Ottoman Empire and his philanthropic contributions to the city of Lyon.
In England, the name appears to have gained prominence during the 16th century, with records showing a William Mardis born in 1572 in Gloucestershire. He was a respected farmer and landowner in the region.
Another prominent individual with the Mardis surname was Jean-Baptiste Mardis, a French painter born in 1715 in Paris. He is best known for his portraits of the French nobility and his landscapes depicting rural scenes of his time.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Mardis name dates back to the late 18th century. Robert Mardis, born in 1789 in Virginia, was a soldier who fought in the War of 1812 and later became a successful farmer in Ohio.
Lastly, it's worth mentioning Marie Mardis, a French author and poet born in 1860 in Marseille. Her works, which often explored themes of love and nature, were widely celebrated during her lifetime and continue to be studied by literary scholars today.
While the Mardis surname may not be among the most common in modern times, its rich history and diverse origins across multiple countries and cultures make it a fascinating subject of exploration for those interested in the study of surnames and their etymological roots.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mardis
Among Census respondents with the surname Mardis, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Black (11.0%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Mardis 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 Mardis surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.1% · 2,170
- Black or African American11.0% · 298
- Two or more races4.4% · 119
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 86
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 22
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mardis
Mardis 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
#9,620
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,378
+279 bearers (+9.0%)
Per 100,000 1.15
Rank movement Up 8 places
2020
#11,176
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,708
-670 bearers (-19.8%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Down 1,556 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,628 | 3,099 | 1.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,620 | 3,378 | 1.15 | +279 bearers (+9.0%) | Up 8 places |
| 2020 | #11,176 | 2,708 | 0.91 | -670 bearers (-19.8%) | Down 1,556 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 Mardis 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 | #9,620 | #11,176 | -16.2% |
| Count | 3,378 | 2,708 | -19.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.15 | 0.91 | -21.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mardis bearers went from 3,378 to 2,708 (-19.8% change). The surname moved down 1,556 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,620 to #11,176.
FAQ
Mardis surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mardis?
Name Census estimates that about 3,105 living Americans carry the surname Mardis. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 110,388 residents.
How common is Mardis?
Mardis ranks #11,176 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.91 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 2,708 people with the surname Mardis. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,105), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.91 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.91 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 Mardis.
Has Mardis become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mardis went from 3,378 recorded bearers to 2,708. That is a decrease of 670 (-19.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,620 to #11,176.
What does the Census say about the background of Mardis?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mardis, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Black (11.0%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Mardis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.1% (2,170 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mardis appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.1%), Black (11.0%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Mardis (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 Mardis mean?
A French occupational surname referring to someone who lived in a marsh or swamp. 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 Mardis (0.91 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 Mardis?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.