2000
#5,740
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,526
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.05
Rare Last name
Marra
An Italian occupational surname referring to someone who worked with wood, such as a carpenter or woodcutter.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,922 Americans carry the last name Marra. That puts it at #6,334 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 57,878 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Marra 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 Marra with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.9K
1 in 57,878
Census rank
#6,334
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,164 bearers of the surname Marra in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6334th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Marra, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Marra
The surname Marra is of Italian origin, with its roots traced back to the Italian regions of Calabria and Sicily. It is believed to have derived from the Latin word 'marra,' which means a type of hoe or mattock, a tool used for digging and cultivating the soil. This connection suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname, referring to individuals who worked as farmers or agricultural laborers.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Marra surname can be found in the 'Codice Diplomatico Barese,' a collection of historical documents from the city of Bari in southern Italy, dating back to the 11th century. This document mentions individuals with the surname Marra, indicating the name's presence in the region during the medieval period.
In the 14th century, the Marra family played a significant role in the history of Naples, with members holding influential positions within the royal court. Notably, Muzio Marra served as the Grand Chancellor of the Kingdom of Naples under King Robert of Anjou in the early 1300s.
Another prominent figure bearing the Marra surname was Gian Battista Marra, an Italian astronomer and mathematician born in Genoa in 1537. He made significant contributions to the field of astronomy and was responsible for mapping the positions of numerous stars and celestial bodies.
During the Renaissance period, the Marra family produced several notable artists and architects. One such figure was Francesco Marra, a 16th-century painter and architect from Naples, known for his works in churches and palaces throughout the city.
In the literary realm, Giacomo Marra, born in Naples in 1619, was a renowned poet and playwright. His works, including tragedies and comedies, were widely celebrated during the Baroque period in Italy.
Moving forward in time, Giuseppe Marra, born in Palermo, Sicily, in 1796, was a prominent Italian politician and statesman. He served as the Minister of Public Works and later as the Minister of the Interior during the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies in the mid-19th century.
While the Marra surname has its roots in Italy, it has since spread to other parts of the world, carried by Italian immigrants and their descendants. However, its rich history and cultural significance remain deeply rooted in the Italian regions where it originated.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Marra
Among Census respondents with the surname Marra, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Marra 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 Marra surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.8% · 4,635
- Hispanic or Latino6.1% · 316
- Two or more races2.3% · 117
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 52
- Black or African American0.8% · 39
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Marra
Marra 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
#5,719
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,065
+539 bearers (+9.8%)
Per 100,000 2.06
Rank movement Up 21 places
2020
#6,334
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,164
-901 bearers (-14.9%)
Per 100,000 1.73
Rank movement Down 615 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,740 | 5,526 | 2.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,719 | 6,065 | 2.06 | +539 bearers (+9.8%) | Up 21 places |
| 2020 | #6,334 | 5,164 | 1.73 | -901 bearers (-14.9%) | Down 615 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 Marra 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 | #5,719 | #6,334 | -10.8% |
| Count | 6,065 | 5,164 | -14.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.06 | 1.73 | -16.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Marra bearers went from 6,065 to 5,164 (-14.9% change). The surname moved down 615 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,719 to #6,334.
FAQ
Marra surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Marra?
Name Census estimates that about 5,922 living Americans carry the surname Marra. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 57,878 residents.
How common is Marra?
Marra ranks #6,334 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.73 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 5,164 people with the surname Marra. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,922), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.73 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 Marra.
Has Marra become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Marra went from 6,065 recorded bearers to 5,164. That is a decrease of 901 (-14.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,719 to #6,334.
What does the Census say about the background of Marra?
Among Census respondents with the surname Marra, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Marra in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.8% (4,635 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Marra appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.8%), Hispanic (6.1%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Marra (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 Marra mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to someone who worked with wood, such as a carpenter or woodcutter. 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 Marra (1.73 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 Marra?
You can see how common the surname Marra is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.