2000
#5,041
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,386
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.37
Rare Last name
Marques
A Portuguese and Galician occupational surname referring to a person who served as a marquis or landowner.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,935 Americans carry the last name Marques. That puts it at #4,413 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 38,361 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Marques 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 Marques with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.9K
1 in 38,361
Census rank
#4,413
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,792 bearers of the surname Marques in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4413th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Marques, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (20.5%) and Black (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Marques
The surname Marques has its origins in Portugal, with records of the name dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Portuguese word "marquês," which means "marquis" or "lord of the march." The name likely originated from a title bestowed upon landowners or noblemen who governed border territories or marches.
In medieval Portugal, the Marques family held significant power and influence, particularly in the regions near the Spanish border. One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the "Livro Velho de Linhagens" (Old Book of Lineages), a 14th-century Portuguese manuscript detailing the genealogies of noble families.
The Marques surname was also associated with the town of Marques, located in the northern region of Portugal. This place name is believed to have contributed to the widespread use of the surname among families residing in or near that area.
One notable figure in history bearing the Marques surname was Pedro Álvares Marques, a Portuguese explorer born around 1480. He was a prominent figure in the Age of Discovery, leading expeditions to Brazil and the coast of Africa in the early 16th century.
Another prominent individual was João Marques de Almeida, a 17th-century Portuguese military leader and colonial administrator. He served as the fourth viceroy of Portuguese India from 1623 to 1628 and played a significant role in the expansion of Portuguese influence in the region.
In the 18th century, José Marques da Silva Leitão, born in 1736, was a renowned Portuguese architect and engineer. He designed several notable buildings, including the iconic Clérigos Tower in Porto, which is considered a masterpiece of Baroque architecture.
Moving to the 19th century, Eugénio dos Santos Marques, born in 1834, was a prominent Portuguese writer and journalist. He was a staunch advocate for social reforms and played a crucial role in the development of Portuguese literature during the Romantic period.
Lastly, in the 20th century, Fernando Marques da Costa, born in 1913, was a celebrated Portuguese architect and urban planner. He is best known for his contributions to the modernist architectural movement in Portugal and his influential urban planning projects in Lisbon.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who carried the Marques surname throughout history, reflecting the name's deep roots and significance in Portuguese culture and society.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Marques
Among Census respondents with the surname Marques, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (20.5%) and Black (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Marques 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 Marques surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.2% · 5,473
- Hispanic or Latino20.5% · 1,599
- Black or African American4.2% · 325
- Two or more races2.5% · 192
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.2% · 172
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 31
Timeline
Historical Census data for Marques
Marques 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
#4,716
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,520
+1,134 bearers (+17.8%)
Per 100,000 2.55
Rank movement Up 325 places
2020
#4,413
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,792
+272 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 2.61
Rank movement Up 303 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,041 | 6,386 | 2.37 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,716 | 7,520 | 2.55 | +1,134 bearers (+17.8%) | Up 325 places |
| 2020 | #4,413 | 7,792 | 2.61 | +272 bearers (+3.6%) | Up 303 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 Marques 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 | #4,716 | #4,413 | 6.4% |
| Count | 7,520 | 7,792 | 3.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.55 | 2.61 | 2.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Marques bearers went from 7,520 to 7,792 (+3.6% change). The surname moved up 303 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,716 to #4,413.
FAQ
Marques surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Marques?
Name Census estimates that about 8,935 living Americans carry the surname Marques. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 38,361 residents.
How common is Marques?
Marques ranks #4,413 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.61 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,792 people with the surname Marques. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,935), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.61 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Marques.
Has Marques become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Marques went from 7,520 recorded bearers to 7,792. That is an increase of 272 (+3.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,716 to #4,413.
What does the Census say about the background of Marques?
Among Census respondents with the surname Marques, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (20.5%) and Black (4.2%). 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 Marques in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.2% (5,473 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Marques appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.2%), Hispanic (20.5%), Black (4.2%). 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 Marques (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 Marques mean?
A Portuguese and Galician occupational surname referring to a person who served as a marquis or landowner. 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 Marques (2.61 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 Marques?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.