2010
#102,688
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 175
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Markova
A surname derived from the male given name Mark, which has Hebrew origins and means "consecrated to the god Mars".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 370 Americans carry the last name Markova. That puts it at #66,171 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 926,363 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Markova 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Markova with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
370
1 in 926,363
Census rank
#66,171
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
323
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 323 bearers of the surname Markova in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 66171st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Markova, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%) and Hispanic (0.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Markova
The surname Markova is of Russian origin, dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Russian given name "Mark," which itself comes from the Latin "Marcus," meaning "of Mars" or "consecrated to Mars," the Roman god of war.
Markova is a patronymic surname, meaning it was originally formed by adding the possessive suffix "-ov" or "-ova" (feminine form) to the name of the father or ancestor. This practice was common in many Slavic cultures, including Russia.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Markova surname can be found in the "Razryadnaya Kniga" (Service Register Book) from the late 16th century, which documented military and government appointments in Muscovy (the Grand Duchy of Moscow).
The Markova surname has ties to several historical figures, including Yelena Markova (1834-1910), a Russian actress renowned for her performances in the Maly Theatre in Moscow. Another notable bearer of the name was Alicia Markova (1910-1986), an English prima ballerina and choreographer of Russian descent, who was widely regarded as one of the most influential dancers of the 20th century.
Historically, variations of the Markova surname have been associated with certain place names, such as the village of Markovka in the Bryansk region of Russia, which may have contributed to the surname's origins.
Other notable individuals with the Markova surname include:
1. Nadezhda Markova (1907-1983), a Soviet actress and People's Artist of the USSR.
2. Tatiana Markova (born 1976), a Russian former gymnast and Olympic gold medalist.
3. Mariya Markova (1834-1907), a Russian philanthropist and patron of the arts.
4. Georgi Markov (1929-1978), a Bulgarian dissident writer and playwright, known for his assassination by an alleged KGB agent using a poisoned umbrella.
5. Olga Markova (1925-2015), a Russian prima ballerina and teacher.
These examples illustrate the rich cultural heritage and diverse backgrounds associated with the Markova surname, which has roots spanning centuries and transcending geographical boundaries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Markova
Among Census respondents with the surname Markova, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%) and Hispanic (0.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Markova 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 Markova surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.1% · 317
- Two or more races0.9% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino0.6% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Markova
Markova appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#66,171
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 323
+148 bearers (+84.6%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Up 36,517 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #102,688 | 175 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #66,171 | 323 | 0.11 | +148 bearers (+84.6%) | Up 36,517 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 Markova 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 | #102,688 | #66,171 | 35.6% |
| Count | 175 | 323 | 84.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.11 | 80.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Markova bearers went from 175 to 323 (+84.6% change). The surname moved up 36,517 positions in the national ranking, going from #102,688 to #66,171.
FAQ
Markova surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Markova?
Name Census estimates that about 370 living Americans carry the surname Markova. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 926,363 residents.
How common is Markova?
Markova ranks #66,171 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.11 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 323 people with the surname Markova. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (370), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.11 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 Markova.
Has Markova become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Markova went from 175 recorded bearers to 323. That is an increase of 148 (+84.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #102,688 to #66,171.
What does the Census say about the background of Markova?
Among Census respondents with the surname Markova, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%) and Hispanic (0.6%). 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 Markova in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.1% (317 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Markova appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.1%), Two or More Races (0.9%), Hispanic (0.6%). 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 Markova (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 Markova mean?
A surname derived from the male given name Mark, which has Hebrew origins and means "consecrated to the god Mars". 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 Markova (0.11 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 Markova?
See how many Americans have the surname Markova on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.