2000
#12,605
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,253
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.84
Rare Last name
Marlatt
Derived from a place name meaning "boundary gate," likely referring to someone who lived near a border or boundary.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,373 Americans carry the last name Marlatt. That puts it at #13,956 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 144,439 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Marlatt 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
2.4K
1 in 144,439
Census rank
#13,956
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,069 bearers of the surname Marlatt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13956th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Marlatt, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Marlatt
The surname MARLATT originated in France during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "marlat," which referred to a breed of duck known for its distinctive green head feathers. This suggests that the name may have been an occupational surname initially given to someone who raised or traded in these particular ducks.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various French documents from the 13th and 14th centuries. One such reference appears in the Livre des Métiers, a register of trades and occupations in Paris from 1268, which mentions a "Jehan Marlat" working as a poulterer.
As the name spread across France, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Marlatz, Marlotte, and Marleau. In the 16th century, records show the name appeared in the Normandy region, with a notable figure being Pierre Marlatt (c. 1510-1585), a merchant and landowner from the town of Caen.
The MARLATT surname later made its way to England, likely during the Norman Conquest in the 11th century. One of the earliest recorded English bearers was Robert Marlatt, who was mentioned in the Cartulary of Eynsham Abbey in Oxfordshire in 1221.
As the name continued to spread across Europe, it also found its way to other parts of the world through emigration. One notable bearer was Jean-Baptiste Marlatt (1735-1806), a French-Canadian farmer and landowner who settled in the Niagara region of Ontario, Canada, in the late 18th century.
Another significant figure with the MARLATT surname was Samuel Marlatt (1796-1876), an American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania in the mid-19th century.
In more recent history, the name has been associated with several notable individuals, including Charles Lester Marlatt (1863-1953), an American entomologist and author; Earle Marlatt (1892-1976), an American film director and producer; and Earl W. Marlatt (1892-1976), an American businessman and philanthropist.
Overall, the surname MARLATT has a rich history spanning multiple countries and centuries, with its roots firmly grounded in medieval France and a connection to the poultry trade.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Marlatt
Among Census respondents with the surname Marlatt, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Marlatt 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 Marlatt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 1,894
- Two or more races3.4% · 71
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 67
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 16
- Black or African American0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Marlatt
Marlatt 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
#12,720
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,427
+174 bearers (+7.7%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Down 115 places
2020
#13,956
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,069
-358 bearers (-14.8%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Down 1,236 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,605 | 2,253 | 0.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,720 | 2,427 | 0.82 | +174 bearers (+7.7%) | Down 115 places |
| 2020 | #13,956 | 2,069 | 0.69 | -358 bearers (-14.8%) | Down 1,236 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 Marlatt 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 | #12,720 | #13,956 | -9.7% |
| Count | 2,427 | 2,069 | -14.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.82 | 0.69 | -15.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Marlatt bearers went from 2,427 to 2,069 (-14.8% change). The surname moved down 1,236 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,720 to #13,956.
FAQ
Marlatt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Marlatt?
Name Census estimates that about 2,373 living Americans carry the surname Marlatt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 144,439 residents.
How common is Marlatt?
Marlatt ranks #13,956 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,069 people with the surname Marlatt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,373), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.69 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Marlatt.
Has Marlatt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Marlatt went from 2,427 recorded bearers to 2,069. That is a decrease of 358 (-14.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,720 to #13,956.
What does the Census say about the background of Marlatt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Marlatt, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Marlatt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (1,894 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Marlatt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Marlatt (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 Marlatt mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "boundary gate," likely referring to someone who lived near a border or boundary. 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 Marlatt (0.69 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 last name Marlatt?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Marlatt at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.