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

Marlon, 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 Marlon surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Marlon in America

Marlon is the 148347th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Marlon surname appeared 111 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Marlon.

We can also compare 2010 data for Marlon 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 Marlon

The surname Marlon is thought to have originated in France during the Middle Ages. It is believed to be a variation of the French place name Marlon, derived from the Latin word "marulus," meaning "small hammer." This place name was likely given to a village or settlement where blacksmiths or metalworkers lived and worked.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Marlon dates back to the 13th century, when a man named Jean Marlon was mentioned in a medieval French manuscript as a blacksmith in the village of Marlon. This suggests that the name may have originally been an occupational surname, given to those who worked with hammers or in metalworking professions.

In the 14th century, there are records of a family named Marlon living in the region of Normandy, France. The Marlons were landowners and played a role in the local nobility. A notable member of this family was Sir Guillaume Marlon, who fought alongside William the Conqueror during the Norman conquest of England in 1066.

As the surname spread across Europe, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Marlon, Marlone, and Marloun. One of the earliest recorded examples of the Marlon spelling can be found in a 16th-century English parish record, which mentions a John Marlon from Oxfordshire.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Marlon. In the 18th century, Jacques Marlon was a French philosopher and writer known for his works on ethics and morality. Another notable figure was Maria Marlon, an Italian painter and artist who lived during the Renaissance period in the 16th century.

In the 19th century, the name gained prominence with the birth of James Marlon, an American industrialist and entrepreneur who founded the Marlon Steel Company in Pittsburgh. He was born in 1825 and played a significant role in the industrial revolution in the United States.

Another famous bearer of the Marlon surname was the French explorer and adventurer, Louis Marlon, who was born in 1860. He was known for his expeditions to Africa and his writings about his travels and encounters with indigenous cultures.

In the 20th century, the most renowned individual with the surname Marlon was undoubtedly Marlon Brando, the iconic American actor known for his performances in films such as "The Godfather" and "A Streetcar Named Desire." He was born in 1924 and passed away in 2004, leaving a lasting legacy in the world of cinema.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Marlon

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

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 Marlon 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 Marlon 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 Marlon was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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