2000
#5,271
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,075
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.25
Rare Last name
Marley
Derived from an Old English place name meaning "pleasant wood" or "boundary wood."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,804 Americans carry the last name Marley. That puts it at #5,637 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.98 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 50,375 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Marley 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 Marley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.8K
1 in 50,375
Census rank
#5,637
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,933 bearers of the surname Marley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.98 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5637th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Marley, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Marley
The surname Marley originated in England, with the earliest records dating back to the early 13th century. It is likely derived from the Old English words "mere" meaning a lake or pool, and "leah" meaning a woodland or clearing, suggesting that the name may have referred to someone who lived near a lakeside clearing.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1240, which mentions a Richard de Mereleye. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also mentions a William de Merelegh in Oxfordshire.
The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings and wealth completed in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror, does not contain any direct references to the Marley surname. However, it does mention several place names that may have influenced the development of the surname, such as Mereleg in Bedfordshire and Meredene in Wiltshire.
In the 14th century, the surname appears in various spellings, including Merley, Merlegh, and Marleigh, reflecting the evolution of the name over time. One notable figure from this period is John de Merley, a member of the English gentry who served as a Member of Parliament for Somerset in the early 1300s.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Marley surname continued to spread across England, with several individuals holding positions of prominence. Sir Thomas Marley (1495-1571) was a member of the English nobility who served as Lord Lieutenant of Northamptonshire. Robert Marley (1576-1644) was an English clergyman and academic who served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge.
In the 18th century, the surname gained international recognition with the life and work of Christopher Marley (1737-1788), an English botanist and explorer who made significant contributions to the study of plant life in the Caribbean and South America.
Another notable figure was James Marley (1785-1865), a British industrialist and entrepreneur who played a pivotal role in the development of the cotton industry in Lancashire, England.
Throughout history, the Marley surname has been associated with various place names, including Marley Hill in Tyne and Wear, Marley in West Yorkshire, and Marleyford in Staffordshire, among others.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Marley
Among Census respondents with the surname Marley, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Marley 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 Marley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.3% · 4,941
- Black or African American7.1% · 424
- Two or more races4.3% · 254
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 229
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 52
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 33
Timeline
Historical Census data for Marley
Marley 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
#5,591
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,220
+145 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 2.11
Rank movement Down 320 places
2020
#5,637
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,933
-287 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 1.98
Rank movement Down 46 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,271 | 6,075 | 2.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,591 | 6,220 | 2.11 | +145 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 320 places |
| 2020 | #5,637 | 5,933 | 1.98 | -287 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 46 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 Marley 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 | #5,591 | #5,637 | -0.8% |
| Count | 6,220 | 5,933 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.11 | 1.98 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Marley bearers went from 6,220 to 5,933 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 46 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,591 to #5,637.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Marley
FAQ
Marley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Marley?
Name Census estimates that about 6,804 living Americans carry the surname Marley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 50,375 residents.
How common is Marley?
Marley ranks #5,637 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.98 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,933 people with the surname Marley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,804), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.98 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.98 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Marley.
Has Marley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Marley went from 6,220 recorded bearers to 5,933. That is a decrease of 287 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,591 to #5,637.
What does the Census say about the background of Marley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Marley, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Marley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.3% (4,941 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Marley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.3%), Black (7.1%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Marley (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 Marley mean?
Derived from an Old English place name meaning "pleasant wood" or "boundary wood." 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 Marley (1.98 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 Marley?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.