2000
#40,761
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 505
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.19
Very Rare Last name
Margulis
An Eastern European surname derived from the Hebrew word "margalita" (pearl).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 805 Americans carry the last name Margulis. That puts it at #34,703 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 425,782 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Margulis 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
805
1 in 425,782
Census rank
#34,703
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
702
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 702 bearers of the surname Margulis in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 34703rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Margulis, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Margulis
The surname Margulis is of Russian origin and can be traced back to the late 18th century. It is derived from the Russian word "marmor," meaning marble, and is believed to have been an occupational name for someone who worked with marble, such as a sculptor or stonemason.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Margulis is found in the Russian Census of 1897, where it appears in the city of Moscow. This suggests that the name may have originated in the Moscow region or surrounding areas.
In the early 20th century, the name Margulis can be found in several historical records and documents from Russia. For example, a man named Ivan Margulis (1890-1965) was a prominent Russian architect who designed several notable buildings in Moscow during the Soviet era.
Another notable figure with the surname Margulis was Lynn Margulis (1938-2011), an American evolutionary biologist and educator. She was best known for her groundbreaking work on the theory of endosymbiosis, which explains the origin of eukaryotic cells through the symbiotic merger of different types of prokaryotic organisms.
Other historical figures with the surname Margulis include Yuri Margulis (1930-1995), a Russian-born American mathematician and computer scientist who made significant contributions to the field of computational complexity theory, and Boris Margulis (1914-1980), a Soviet writer and playwright who authored several works that explored themes of World War II and Jewish identity.
The name Margulis can also be found in historical records from other parts of Eastern Europe, such as Poland and Ukraine, where it likely spread through migration and cultural exchange. It is possible that the name may have originated from a place name or locality, as many surnames in this region were derived from geographic locations.
Overall, the surname Margulis has a rich history that spans several centuries and is deeply rooted in the cultural and linguistic traditions of Eastern Europe, particularly Russia. Its connection to the marble trade and the arts, as well as its association with notable figures in various fields, make it a fascinating name to study from an etymological and historical perspective.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Margulis
Among Census respondents with the surname Margulis, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Margulis 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 Margulis surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.7% · 658
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 32
- Two or more races1.0% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Margulis
Margulis 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
#49,177
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 428
-77 bearers (-15.2%)
Per 100,000 0.15
Rank movement Down 8,416 places
2020
#34,703
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 702
+274 bearers (+64.0%)
Per 100,000 0.23
Rank movement Up 14,474 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #40,761 | 505 | 0.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #49,177 | 428 | 0.15 | -77 bearers (-15.2%) | Down 8,416 places |
| 2020 | #34,703 | 702 | 0.23 | +274 bearers (+64.0%) | Up 14,474 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 Margulis 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 | #49,177 | #34,703 | 29.4% |
| Count | 428 | 702 | 64.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.15 | 0.23 | 56.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Margulis bearers went from 428 to 702 (+64.0% change). The surname moved up 14,474 positions in the national ranking, going from #49,177 to #34,703.
FAQ
Margulis surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Margulis?
Name Census estimates that about 805 living Americans carry the surname Margulis. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 425,782 residents.
How common is Margulis?
Margulis ranks #34,703 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.23 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 702 people with the surname Margulis. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (805), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.23 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 Margulis.
Has Margulis become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Margulis went from 428 recorded bearers to 702. That is an increase of 274 (+64.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #49,177 to #34,703.
What does the Census say about the background of Margulis?
Among Census respondents with the surname Margulis, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Margulis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.7% (658 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Margulis appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.7%), Hispanic (4.6%), Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Margulis (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 Margulis mean?
An Eastern European surname derived from the Hebrew word "margalita" (pearl). 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 Margulis (0.23 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 share the surname Margulis?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.