Find out how popular the last name Marek is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Marek.

Marek, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Marek surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Marek in America

Marek is the 4420th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Marek surname appeared 8,042 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Marek.

We can also compare 2010 data for Marek to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Marek

The surname Marek is of Slavic origin, specifically from the Czech and Polish regions of Central Europe. It dates back to the early medieval period, likely emerging around the 9th or 10th century.

The name Marek is believed to be derived from the Latin name Marcus, which itself originated from the Roman god Mars, the god of war. The name was likely introduced to Slavic territories through the influence of the Roman Empire and the subsequent spread of Christianity.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Marek can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus et Epistolaris Regni Bohemiae, a collection of historical documents from the Kingdom of Bohemia (now part of the Czech Republic), dating back to the 11th century.

During the Middle Ages, the name Marek was particularly popular among the nobility and ruling classes in various Slavic regions. One notable bearer of the name was Marek of Bratislava, a prominent diplomat and politician who served as the Mayor of Bratislava (now the capital of Slovakia) in the early 15th century.

Another historical figure with the surname Marek was Jan Marek Marci, a renowned Czech philosopher, physician, and scientist who lived from 1595 to 1667. He made significant contributions to the fields of medicine, optics, and natural philosophy.

In the 17th century, the name Marek was also found in various place names throughout Central Europe, such as the town of Marek in Poland and the village of Marek in the Czech Republic.

One of the most famous bearers of the surname Marek was the Polish poet and dramatist Józef Marek (1865-1942), known for his contributions to the Young Poland literary movement and his works exploring themes of patriotism and national identity.

Another notable figure was Arno Marek, a German-born American film producer and screenwriter (1906-1977), who produced several notable films in the Golden Age of Hollywood, including the 1953 film "The Moon is Blue."

In the 20th century, the surname Marek gained international recognition through the achievements of Czech-born American tennis player Ivan Marek (1909-1998), who won several Grand Slam titles in the 1930s and was a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Marek

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Marek.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Marek was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Marek has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Marek was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Marek, please contact us.

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