2000
#5,029
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,401
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.37
Rare Last name
Mariscal
A occupational surname referring to a marshal or high-ranking military officer in Spanish-speaking countries.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,108 Americans carry the last name Mariscal. That puts it at #4,323 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 37,632 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mariscal 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
9.1K
1 in 37,632
Census rank
#4,323
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,943 bearers of the surname Mariscal in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4323rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mariscal, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.1%. The next largest groups are White (4.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mariscal
The surname Mariscal has its origins in Spain and dates back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Spanish word "mariscal," which originally meant a high-ranking military officer or a marshal. The word itself can be traced back to the Medieval Latin term "mariscalcus," which was a combination of the Germanic words "marah" (horse) and "scalc" (servant).
In medieval times, the title of Mariscal was bestowed upon noblemen who held significant positions in the military or royal households. These individuals often hailed from prominent families and were entrusted with important duties, such as leading armies or overseeing the king's stables and horses.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Mariscal can be found in various historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries, particularly in regions like Castile and Aragon. One notable example is the record of a certain Pedro Mariscal, who served as a military commander under King Alfonso X of Castile in the 13th century.
Another prominent figure was Fernán Álvarez de Mariscal, a nobleman from Seville who lived in the 14th century and was appointed as the Mariscal of Castile by King Pedro I. His descendants continued to use the surname Mariscal, further solidifying its association with military and noble lineages.
During the 15th century, the surname Mariscal also found its way into the historical records of the Kingdom of Aragon, with several individuals bearing the name holding significant positions within the royal court or military ranks.
As the Spanish empire expanded during the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Mariscal was carried to the Americas by Spanish conquistadors and settlers. One such individual was Diego Núñez Mariscal, who participated in the conquest of Peru alongside Francisco Pizarro in the 1530s.
In the realm of literature, the surname Mariscal is referenced in the works of renowned Spanish authors, such as Miguel de Cervantes, who mentioned characters with this surname in his famous novel, "Don Quixote."
Other notable individuals with the surname Mariscal include Juan Mariscal, a 16th-century Spanish explorer who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico, and Mariscal José María Torrijos, a 19th-century Spanish general and liberal revolutionary who fought against the rule of Ferdinand VII.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mariscal
Among Census respondents with the surname Mariscal, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.1%. The next largest groups are White (4.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Mariscal 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 Mariscal surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino94.1% · 7,471
- White4.8% · 381
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 39
- Black or African American0.3% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 20
- Two or more races0.2% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mariscal
Mariscal 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
#4,238
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,368
+1,967 bearers (+30.7%)
Per 100,000 2.84
Rank movement Up 791 places
2020
#4,323
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,943
-425 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 2.66
Rank movement Down 85 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,029 | 6,401 | 2.37 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,238 | 8,368 | 2.84 | +1,967 bearers (+30.7%) | Up 791 places |
| 2020 | #4,323 | 7,943 | 2.66 | -425 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 85 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 Mariscal 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 | #4,238 | #4,323 | -2.0% |
| Count | 8,368 | 7,943 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.84 | 2.66 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mariscal bearers went from 8,368 to 7,943 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 85 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,238 to #4,323.
FAQ
Mariscal surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mariscal?
Name Census estimates that about 9,108 living Americans carry the surname Mariscal. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 37,632 residents.
How common is Mariscal?
Mariscal ranks #4,323 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.66 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,943 people with the surname Mariscal. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,108), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.66 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Mariscal.
Has Mariscal become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mariscal went from 8,368 recorded bearers to 7,943. That is a decrease of 425 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,238 to #4,323.
What does the Census say about the background of Mariscal?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mariscal, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.1%. The next largest groups are White (4.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.5%). 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 Mariscal in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (7,471 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mariscal appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (94.1%), White (4.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.5%). 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 Mariscal (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 Mariscal mean?
A occupational surname referring to a marshal or high-ranking military officer in Spanish-speaking countries. 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 Mariscal (2.66 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 Mariscal?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.