2000
#2,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,185
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.89
Uncommon Last name
Marlow
Derived from a place name meaning "drained lake" or "marsh lake" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,257 Americans carry the last name Marlow. That puts it at #2,817 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 24,041 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Marlow 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 Marlow with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 24,041
Census rank
#2,817
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,433 bearers of the surname Marlow in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2817th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Marlow, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.5%. The next largest groups are Black (6.9%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Marlow
The surname Marlow has its origins in England, tracing back to the 13th century. It is a locational name derived from the town of Marlow in Buckinghamshire, which was recorded as "Merelafan" in the Domesday Book of 1086. The name is believed to be derived from the Old English words "mere" meaning a lake or pond, and "hlaw" meaning a hill, thus referring to a hill near a lake.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1230, where it is spelled as "de Merlaue". The spelling variations throughout history include Marlow, Merlow, Merlawe, and Marley, among others.
In the 14th century, a prominent individual bearing the name was John Marlow, a member of the English Parliament who represented the borough of Great Marlow in 1348. Another notable figure was Sir Roger Marlow (c. 1495-1555), who served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1554.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname gained further prominence. Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593) was an influential English playwright, poet, and translator of the Elizabethan era, often referred to as the "Invisible Poet" and renowned for his plays such as "Tamburlaine the Great" and "The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus".
In the 18th century, a notable figure was Andrew Marlow (1736-1805), an English Congregational minister and author. He published several works, including "A Discourse on the Grounds and Reasons of the Christian Religion" and "A Commentary on the Book of Psalms".
The 19th century saw the birth of Charles Marlow (1870-1945), an English actor and playwright best known for his performances in Shakespearean roles and for co-founding the Old Vic Theatre in London with his wife, Lilian Baylis.
Throughout its history, the surname Marlow has been associated with various locations in England, particularly the town of Marlow in Buckinghamshire, as well as other places that may have derived their names from similar origins, reflecting the locational nature of the surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Marlow
Among Census respondents with the surname Marlow, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.5%. The next largest groups are Black (6.9%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Marlow 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 Marlow surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.5% · 10,387
- Black or African American6.9% · 863
- Two or more races4.6% · 566
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 444
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 91
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 82
Timeline
Historical Census data for Marlow
Marlow 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
#2,728
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,205
+20 bearers (+0.2%)
Per 100,000 4.48
Rank movement Down 217 places
2020
#2,817
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,433
-772 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 4.16
Rank movement Down 89 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,511 | 13,185 | 4.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,728 | 13,205 | 4.48 | +20 bearers (+0.2%) | Down 217 places |
| 2020 | #2,817 | 12,433 | 4.16 | -772 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 89 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 Marlow 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 | #2,728 | #2,817 | -3.3% |
| Count | 13,205 | 12,433 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 4.48 | 4.16 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Marlow bearers went from 13,205 to 12,433 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 89 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,728 to #2,817.
FAQ
Marlow surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Marlow?
Name Census estimates that about 14,257 living Americans carry the surname Marlow. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 24,041 residents.
How common is Marlow?
Marlow ranks #2,817 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.16 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,433 people with the surname Marlow. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,257), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.16 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Marlow.
Has Marlow become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Marlow went from 13,205 recorded bearers to 12,433. That is a decrease of 772 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,728 to #2,817.
What does the Census say about the background of Marlow?
Among Census respondents with the surname Marlow, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.5%. The next largest groups are Black (6.9%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Marlow in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.5% (10,387 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Marlow appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.5%), Black (6.9%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Marlow (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 Marlow mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "drained lake" or "marsh lake" in Old English. 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 Marlow (4.16 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 share the surname Marlow?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.