Find out how popular the last name Markowitz is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Markowitz.

Markowitz, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Markowitz surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Markowitz in America

Markowitz is the 7508th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Markowitz surname appeared 4,435 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Markowitz.

We can also compare 2010 data for Markowitz to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Markowitz

The surname Markowitz is of Ashkenazic Jewish origin, tracing its roots back to the 14th century in Central and Eastern Europe. The name is derived from the Hebrew personal name "Mordechai," which means "little man" or "warrior" in Persian. It is believed that the surname originated as a patronymic, indicating that the bearer was the son or descendant of someone named Mordechai.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Markowitz can be found in the 16th-century Polish census records. During this time, the name was commonly spelled as "Markiewicz" or "Markowicz" in various Polish regions. In the 17th century, the name began appearing in German-speaking areas, where it was often rendered as "Markowitz" or "Markowits."

In the 18th century, the surname Markowitz was mentioned in several historical documents, including the Pinkas (records) of various Jewish communities in Galicia and the Pale of Settlement. One notable example is Yitzchak Markowitz, a prominent rabbi and author from the city of Berdichev, who lived from 1715 to 1788.

The 19th century saw the continued spread of the Markowitz surname across Eastern and Central Europe. Jacob Markowitz (1825-1884) was a well-known Jewish scholar and author from Vilna, while Shlomo Markowitz (1844-1915) was a renowned Hebrew poet and educator from Ukraine.

As the Jewish diaspora expanded, the name Markowitz also made its way to other parts of the world. In the early 20th century, Maurice Markowitz (1884-1956) was a prominent American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Markowitz Brothers furniture company in New York City.

Another notable figure with the surname Markowitz was Harry Markowitz (1927-), an American economist and Nobel laureate known for his pioneering work in modern portfolio theory. His contributions to the field of finance and investment management have had a lasting impact on financial theory and practice.

It is important to note that while the surname Markowitz has its origins in Eastern and Central Europe, it has since spread globally, with bearers of the name found in various parts of the world, including North America, South America, and Israel.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Markowitz

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Markowitz.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Markowitz was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Markowitz has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Markowitz was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Markowitz, please contact us.

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