2000
#22,427
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,071
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.40
Rare Last name
Margolin
A surname of Slavic origin derived from the Russian word "margol," meaning a person from the Margol region.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,527 Americans carry the last name Margolin. That puts it at #20,203 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.45 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 224,463 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Margolin 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
1.5K
1 in 224,463
Census rank
#20,203
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,332 bearers of the surname Margolin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.45 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 20203rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Margolin, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.3%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Margolin
The surname Margolin has its origins in Eastern Europe, particularly in Russia and Ukraine, where it emerged in the late 18th to early 19th century. It is derived from the Russian word "margolit," which means "pearl" or "small pearl." The name likely originated as a nickname for someone with a particular physical characteristic, such as bright eyes or a fair complexion, resembling the appearance of a pearl.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Margolin can be found in the Census of Kherson Governorate of the Russian Empire, dated 1795, where a merchant named Yakov Margolin is mentioned. Another early reference is in the records of the Jewish community in Berdichev, Ukraine, from the early 19th century, where several families with the surname Margolin are listed.
In the 19th century, the Margolin surname was associated with several notable figures. Abram Yakovlevich Margolin (1815-1884) was a prominent Russian writer, translator, and educator, known for his translations of works by Shakespeare and Molière. His son, Yakov Abramovich Margolin (1854-1920), was a renowned Russian lawyer and legal scholar.
Another notable individual with the surname Margolin was Yuliy Margolin (1900-1971), a Soviet writer and literary critic. He was born in Kherson, Ukraine, and became known for his works on Russian literature and literary criticism.
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Margolin surname spread across Eastern Europe and beyond, as individuals emigrated to other parts of the world. One prominent figure was Abram Margolin (1899-1970), a Russian-born American lawyer and civil rights activist who played a significant role in the defense of the Scottsboro Boys, a group of African American youths falsely accused of a crime in Alabama in the 1930s.
In more recent times, the Margolin surname has been associated with individuals in various fields, such as Julius Margolin (1900-1994), a Russian-born American physicist and educator, and David Margolin (born 1946), an American actor and director.
Overall, the surname Margolin has a rich history rooted in Eastern Europe, with its origins dating back to the late 18th century. While the name initially emerged as a nickname, it has since become a widely recognized surname, carried by individuals who have made significant contributions across various disciplines.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Margolin
Among Census respondents with the surname Margolin, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.3%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Margolin 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 Margolin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.1% · 1,254
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 31
- Two or more races1.7% · 23
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 16
- Black or African American0.5% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Margolin
Margolin 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
#20,382
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,304
+233 bearers (+21.8%)
Per 100,000 0.44
Rank movement Up 2,045 places
2020
#20,203
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,332
+28 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 0.45
Rank movement Up 179 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #22,427 | 1,071 | 0.40 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #20,382 | 1,304 | 0.44 | +233 bearers (+21.8%) | Up 2,045 places |
| 2020 | #20,203 | 1,332 | 0.45 | +28 bearers (+2.1%) | Up 179 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 Margolin 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 | #20,382 | #20,203 | 0.9% |
| Count | 1,304 | 1,332 | 2.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.44 | 0.45 | 1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Margolin bearers went from 1,304 to 1,332 (+2.1% change). The surname moved up 179 positions in the national ranking, going from #20,382 to #20,203.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Margolin
FAQ
Margolin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Margolin?
Name Census estimates that about 1,527 living Americans carry the surname Margolin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 224,463 residents.
How common is Margolin?
Margolin ranks #20,203 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.45 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 1,332 people with the surname Margolin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,527), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.45 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.45 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 Margolin.
Has Margolin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Margolin went from 1,304 recorded bearers to 1,332. That is an increase of 28 (+2.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #20,382 to #20,203.
What does the Census say about the background of Margolin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Margolin, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.3%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Margolin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (1,254 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Margolin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.1%), Hispanic (2.3%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Margolin (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 Margolin mean?
A surname of Slavic origin derived from the Russian word "margol," meaning a person from the Margol region. 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 Margolin (0.45 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 last name Margolin?
Want to know how many people have the last name Margolin? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.