2000
#3,861
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,449
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.13
Rare Last name
Marquis
A noble title derived from the Old French "marchis," meaning "ruler of border lands" or "lord of the marches."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,410 Americans carry the last name Marquis. That puts it at #4,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 36,424 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Marquis 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 Marquis with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.4K
1 in 36,424
Census rank
#4,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,206 bearers of the surname Marquis in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Marquis, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Marquis
The surname Marquis is of French origin, derived from the French title of nobility "marquis," which itself comes from the Old French word "marchis," meaning "march" or "frontier territory." The name first emerged in the Middle Ages and was used to refer to those who held the rank of marquis or governed a frontier region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Marquis can be found in the Domesday Book, a survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Marchis" and "Markys," indicating its French roots and the fluidity of spelling during that time.
In the 13th century, a notable figure bearing the name Marquis was Geoffroy de Marquis, a French nobleman who served as a knight and participated in the Seventh Crusade under King Louis IX of France. Another early bearer of the name was Jehan Marquis, a French poet who lived in the 14th century and wrote several works, including a collection of ballads.
During the Renaissance period, the name Marquis gained prominence in France, with several notable figures bearing it. One example is Michel de Marquis, a French diplomat and ambassador to England in the 16th century, who played a significant role in negotiations between the two countries.
In the 17th century, Jacques Marquis, a French philosopher and mathematician, made important contributions to the field of probability theory and is credited with developing the concept of probability distribution.
Moving into the 18th century, Marie-Joseph Marquis de Bombelles was a French diplomat and courtier who served as the Ambassador of France to the Netherlands and later as the Governor of the Austrian Netherlands. He played a crucial role in the events leading up to the French Revolution.
Another prominent figure with the surname Marquis was Auguste Marquis, a French composer and violinist who lived from 1784 to 1858. He composed several operas and ballets, and his works were performed at the Paris Opéra during his lifetime.
These are just a few examples of individuals with the surname Marquis who have left their mark throughout history, spanning various fields and time periods. The name's French origins and association with nobility and governance have contributed to its enduring legacy and significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Marquis
Among Census respondents with the surname Marquis, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Marquis 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 Marquis surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.7% · 7,035
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 419
- Two or more races4.4% · 363
- Black or African American3.4% · 282
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 68
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 39
Timeline
Historical Census data for Marquis
Marquis 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
#4,065
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,737
+288 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 2.96
Rank movement Down 204 places
2020
#4,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,206
-531 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 2.75
Rank movement Down 117 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,861 | 8,449 | 3.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,065 | 8,737 | 2.96 | +288 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 204 places |
| 2020 | #4,182 | 8,206 | 2.75 | -531 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 117 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 Marquis 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 | #4,065 | #4,182 | -2.9% |
| Count | 8,737 | 8,206 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.96 | 2.75 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Marquis bearers went from 8,737 to 8,206 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 117 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,065 to #4,182.
FAQ
Marquis surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Marquis?
Name Census estimates that about 9,410 living Americans carry the surname Marquis. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 36,424 residents.
How common is Marquis?
Marquis ranks #4,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.75 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 8,206 people with the surname Marquis. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,410), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.75 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 Marquis.
Has Marquis become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Marquis went from 8,737 recorded bearers to 8,206. That is a decrease of 531 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,065 to #4,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Marquis?
Among Census respondents with the surname Marquis, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Marquis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.7% (7,035 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Marquis appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.7%), Hispanic (5.1%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Marquis (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 Marquis mean?
A noble title derived from the Old French "marchis," meaning "ruler of border lands" or "lord of the marches." 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 Marquis (2.75 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 Marquis?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.