2000
#55,971
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 342
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.13
Very Rare Last name
Marichal
A surname of Spanish origin meaning 'horseshoer' or 'farrier'.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 702 Americans carry the last name Marichal. That puts it at #38,883 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 488,254 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Marichal 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
702
1 in 488,254
Census rank
#38,883
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
612
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 612 bearers of the surname Marichal in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 38883rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Marichal, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 86.8%. The next largest groups are White (12.3%) and Black (0.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Marichal
The surname MARICHAL is believed to have originated in Spain, specifically in the region of Galicia. It is thought to be derived from the Latin word "maritimus," which means "relating to the sea." This suggests that the name may have been originally given to someone who lived near the coast or worked in a maritime profession.
One of the earliest known references to the MARICHAL name can be found in the Tumbo Viejo de Lugo, an ancient cartulary from the 12th century that recorded land transactions and other legal documents in the Lugo region of Galicia. This suggests that the name was already in use by that time.
In the 15th century, there are records of a Juan Marichal who was a prominent landowner in the town of Betanzos, near A Coruña. This may indicate that the name had gained some status and prominence by that point.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the MARICHAL name appears in various records throughout Galicia, suggesting that it was well-established in the region. Some notable individuals from this period include:
- Alonso Marichal (c. 1520 - c. 1595), a merchant and shipowner from Pontevedra.
- Pedro Marichal (c. 1570 - c. 1640), a priest and historian from Santiago de Compostela.
As the Spanish empire expanded, the MARICHAL name also spread to other parts of the world, particularly to the Americas. In the 18th century, there are records of a Juan Marichal who was a prominent landowner in Cuba.
In the 19th century, the name gained some renown through the achievements of Juan Marichal (1828 - 1910), a Spanish politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of State (equivalent to Foreign Minister) during the reign of Alfonso XII.
Other notable individuals with the MARICHAL surname include:
- Juan Marichal (1937 - ), a former Major League Baseball player from the Dominican Republic, inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983.
- Juan Antonio Marichal (1948 - ), a Spanish writer and journalist.
- José Marichal (1926 - 2013), a Spanish-American philosopher and historian.
While the MARICHAL surname is most commonly associated with Spain and Latin America, it has also been found in other parts of the world, likely due to migration and intermarriage over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Marichal
Among Census respondents with the surname Marichal, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 86.8%. The next largest groups are White (12.3%) and Black (0.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Marichal 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 Marichal surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino86.8% · 531
- White12.3% · 75
- Black or African American0.3% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 2
- Two or more races0.3% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Marichal
Marichal 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
#40,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 541
+199 bearers (+58.2%)
Per 100,000 0.18
Rank movement Up 15,539 places
2020
#38,883
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 612
+71 bearers (+13.1%)
Per 100,000 0.20
Rank movement Up 1,549 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #55,971 | 342 | 0.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #40,432 | 541 | 0.18 | +199 bearers (+58.2%) | Up 15,539 places |
| 2020 | #38,883 | 612 | 0.20 | +71 bearers (+13.1%) | Up 1,549 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 Marichal 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 | #40,432 | #38,883 | 3.8% |
| Count | 541 | 612 | 13.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.18 | 0.20 | 13.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Marichal bearers went from 541 to 612 (+13.1% change). The surname moved up 1,549 positions in the national ranking, going from #40,432 to #38,883.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Marichal
FAQ
Marichal surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Marichal?
Name Census estimates that about 702 living Americans carry the surname Marichal. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 488,254 residents.
How common is Marichal?
Marichal ranks #38,883 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.20 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 612 people with the surname Marichal. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (702), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.20 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 Marichal.
Has Marichal become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Marichal went from 541 recorded bearers to 612. That is an increase of 71 (+13.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #40,432 to #38,883.
What does the Census say about the background of Marichal?
Among Census respondents with the surname Marichal, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 86.8%. The next largest groups are White (12.3%) and Black (0.3%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Marichal in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.8% (531 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Marichal appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (86.8%), White (12.3%), Black (0.3%). 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 Marichal (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 Marichal mean?
A surname of Spanish origin meaning 'horseshoer' or 'farrier'. 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 Marichal (0.20 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 common is the surname Marichal?
Want to know how many people have the surname Marichal? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.