2000
#5,097
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,318
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.34
Rare Last name
Marlowe
From an English place name meaning "remnants of a lake" from Old English mere "lake" and lafe "remnants, remains."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,238 Americans carry the last name Marlowe. That puts it at #5,329 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 47,355 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Marlowe 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 Marlowe with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.2K
1 in 47,355
Census rank
#5,329
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,312 bearers of the surname Marlowe in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5329th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Marlowe, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Marlowe
The surname MARLOWE is of English origin and dates back to the late medieval period. It is believed to be a locational name, derived from the town of Marlowe in Buckinghamshire. The name is thought to have originated from the Old English words "mere" meaning a lake or pond, and "hlaw" meaning a hill or mound, thus suggesting a settlement near a hill by a lake.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Pipe Rolls of Buckinghamshire from the year 1230, where it appears as "de Merlawe". Similar spellings such as "Merlow" and "Merlawe" were also common in early records.
The MARLOWE surname is not found in the famous Domesday Book of 1086, indicating that it likely emerged after the Norman Conquest of England. However, it is mentioned in various medieval charters and rolls, suggesting its presence among the English gentry and landowners of the time.
One of the most renowned individuals with the MARLOWE surname was Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593), an English playwright, poet, and translator of the Elizabethan era. He is widely considered one of the greatest dramatists of his time, with works such as "The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus" and "Tamburlaine the Great".
Another notable figure was John Marlowe (1619-1679), an English politician and military commander who served as a Parliamentarian during the English Civil War. He was a prominent figure in the Commonwealth of England and played a significant role in the events leading up to the Restoration of the monarchy.
In the 18th century, Samuel Marlowe (1710-1789) was a noted English architect who designed several churches and country houses in the Palladian style. His most famous work is the Shugborough Estate in Staffordshire, which is considered a masterpiece of Georgian architecture.
The MARLOWE name is also associated with William Marlowe (1796-1867), a British naval officer and explorer who conducted several expeditions to the Arctic regions in the mid-19th century. He played a crucial role in mapping and charting the Northwest Passage, a long-sought maritime route through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.
In the literary world, Julia Marlowe (1865-1950) was an acclaimed American actress who gained fame for her performances in various Shakespeare plays. She toured extensively and was celebrated for her interpretations of characters such as Juliet, Ophelia, and Portia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Marlowe
Among Census respondents with the surname Marlowe, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Marlowe 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 Marlowe surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.6% · 5,468
- Black or African American5.9% · 374
- Two or more races3.2% · 203
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 200
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 34
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 33
Timeline
Historical Census data for Marlowe
Marlowe 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
#5,325
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,543
+225 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 2.22
Rank movement Down 228 places
2020
#5,329
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,312
-231 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 2.11
Rank movement Down 4 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,097 | 6,318 | 2.34 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,325 | 6,543 | 2.22 | +225 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 228 places |
| 2020 | #5,329 | 6,312 | 2.11 | -231 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 4 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 Marlowe 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 | #5,325 | #5,329 | -0.1% |
| Count | 6,543 | 6,312 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.22 | 2.11 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Marlowe bearers went from 6,543 to 6,312 (-3.5% change). The surname moved down 4 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,325 to #5,329.
FAQ
Marlowe surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Marlowe?
Name Census estimates that about 7,238 living Americans carry the surname Marlowe. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 47,355 residents.
How common is Marlowe?
Marlowe ranks #5,329 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.11 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 6,312 people with the surname Marlowe. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,238), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.11 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 Marlowe.
Has Marlowe become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Marlowe went from 6,543 recorded bearers to 6,312. That is a decrease of 231 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,325 to #5,329.
What does the Census say about the background of Marlowe?
Among Census respondents with the surname Marlowe, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) and Two or More Races (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 Marlowe in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.6% (5,468 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Marlowe appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.6%), Black (5.9%), Two or More Races (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 Marlowe (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 Marlowe mean?
From an English place name meaning "remnants of a lake" from Old English mere "lake" and lafe "remnants, remains." 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 Marlowe (2.11 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 Marlowe?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Marlowe at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.