2010
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Marmaras
Possibly a habitational name for someone from a place called Marmaras.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115 Americans carry the last name Marmaras. That puts it at #155,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,980,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Marmaras 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
115
1 in 2,980,473
Census rank
#155,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
100
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100 bearers of the surname Marmaras in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Marmaras, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.0%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Marmaras
The surname Marmaras originated from Greece, specifically from the Aegean island of Lesvos. It first appeared in historical records during the Byzantine era, likely derived from the Greek word "marmaros," meaning marble or a type of sparkling stone.
One of the earliest known references to the name Marmaras can be found in a 12th-century manuscript detailing trade activities in the Aegean Sea. The document mentions a merchant named Alexandros Marmaras, who was involved in the export of marble from the quarries of Lesvos.
During the Ottoman period, the Marmaras family was among the prominent Greek families residing in the town of Molyvos (now known as Mithymna) on the island of Lesvos. They were landowners and played a significant role in the local community.
In the 16th century, a notable figure named Nikolaos Marmaras was recorded as a scholar and teacher in the city of Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul). He was renowned for his contributions to the preservation of Greek literature and education during the Ottoman rule.
As the Marmaras family spread across the Greek diaspora, the name can be found in various historical documents and records. For instance, in the 18th century, a merchant named Ioannis Marmaras was mentioned in trade records from the port city of Smyrna (now Izmir, Turkey).
Another prominent individual with the surname Marmaras was Georgios Marmaras, a Greek revolutionary who fought against the Ottoman Empire during the Greek War of Independence in the early 19th century. He was born in Lesvos in 1790 and played a crucial role in the liberation of the island.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, several members of the Marmaras family made significant contributions to the arts and literature in Greece. One such figure was the poet and writer Konstantinos Marmaras, born in 1875 on the island of Lesvos, who gained recognition for his lyrical works celebrating the beauty of his homeland.
While the surname Marmaras has its roots in the Greek island of Lesvos, it has since spread throughout the Greek diaspora and can be found in various parts of the world where Greek communities have settled, often retaining its connection to the island's rich cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Marmaras
Among Census respondents with the surname Marmaras, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.0%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Marmaras 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 Marmaras surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.0% · 96
- Two or more races2.0% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Marmaras
Marmaras appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#155,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-6 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 1,913 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #155,682 | 100 | 0.03 | -6 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 1,913 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 Marmaras 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 | #153,769 | #155,682 | -1.2% |
| Count | 106 | 100 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -16.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Marmaras bearers went from 106 to 100 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 1,913 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #155,682.
FAQ
Marmaras surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Marmaras?
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the surname Marmaras. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,980,473 residents.
How common is Marmaras?
Marmaras ranks #155,682 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 100 people with the surname Marmaras. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Marmaras.
Has Marmaras become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Marmaras went from 106 recorded bearers to 100. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #153,769 to #155,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Marmaras?
Among Census respondents with the surname Marmaras, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.0%) and Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Marmaras in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.0% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Marmaras appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.0%), Two or More Races (2.0%), Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Marmaras (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 Marmaras mean?
Possibly a habitational name for someone from a place called Marmaras. 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 Marmaras (0.03 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 Marmaras?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.