2000
#9,134
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,283
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.22
Rare Last name
Marrow
An English occupational surname referring to a vegetable grower or seller, derived from the Old English word "maru."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,009 Americans carry the last name Marrow. That puts it at #8,981 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 85,496 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Marrow 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 Marrow with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.0K
1 in 85,496
Census rank
#8,981
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,496 bearers of the surname Marrow in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8981st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Marrow, the largest self-reported group is Black at 48.4%. The next largest groups are White (41.3%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Marrow
The surname Marrow is of English origin, believed to have emerged in the medieval period around the 12th or 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "mara," meaning a marsh or a fen, suggesting that the name may have initially referred to someone residing near a marshy area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Marrow can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire, dated 1166, where a person named Willelmus de Mara is mentioned. This entry provides evidence of the name's existence during the 12th century in northern England.
The Marrow surname is also linked to various place names in England, such as Marrow in Gloucestershire and Marrow in Shropshire. These place names may have influenced the development and spread of the surname across different regions.
In the 13th century, the Hundred Rolls of Lincolnshire, a significant collection of administrative records, included an entry for a person named William Marwe. This alternative spelling, Marwe, exemplifies the variations that occurred in surnames during that time period.
Renowned historical figures bearing the Marrow surname include Sir John Marrow, a prominent English landowner and member of Parliament who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Another notable individual was William Marrow, a respected clergyman and author who published several religious works in the 17th century.
Other notable individuals with the Marrow surname include:
1. Thomas Marrow (1592-1649), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament during the reign of King Charles I.
2. Elizabeth Marrow (1635-1703), a prominent Quaker minister and author from England, known for her writings on religious subjects.
3. James Marrow (1720-1799), a Scottish mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics.
4. Henry Marrow (1781-1858), an English artist renowned for his landscape paintings, particularly depicting rural scenes in the Midlands.
5. Margaret Marrow (1844-1922), an American educator and women's rights advocate who played a pivotal role in establishing educational opportunities for women in the late 19th century.
Throughout its history, the Marrow surname has been associated with various occupations, from landowners and politicians to clergymen, artists, and educators, reflecting the diversity of individuals who have borne this name over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Marrow
Among Census respondents with the surname Marrow, the largest self-reported group is Black at 48.4%. The next largest groups are White (41.3%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Marrow 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 Marrow surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American48.4% · 1,693
- White41.3% · 1,445
- Two or more races5.5% · 191
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 121
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 32
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Marrow
Marrow 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
#8,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,656
+373 bearers (+11.4%)
Per 100,000 1.24
Rank movement Up 180 places
2020
#8,981
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,496
-160 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Down 27 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,134 | 3,283 | 1.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,954 | 3,656 | 1.24 | +373 bearers (+11.4%) | Up 180 places |
| 2020 | #8,981 | 3,496 | 1.17 | -160 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 27 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 Marrow 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 | #8,954 | #8,981 | -0.3% |
| Count | 3,656 | 3,496 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.24 | 1.17 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Marrow bearers went from 3,656 to 3,496 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 27 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,954 to #8,981.
FAQ
Marrow surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Marrow?
Name Census estimates that about 4,009 living Americans carry the surname Marrow. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 85,496 residents.
How common is Marrow?
Marrow ranks #8,981 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.17 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,496 people with the surname Marrow. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,009), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.17 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Marrow.
Has Marrow become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Marrow went from 3,656 recorded bearers to 3,496. That is a decrease of 160 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,954 to #8,981.
What does the Census say about the background of Marrow?
Among Census respondents with the surname Marrow, the largest self-reported group is Black at 48.4%. The next largest groups are White (41.3%) and Two or More Races (5.5%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Marrow in the 2020 Census, accounting for 48.4% (1,693 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Marrow appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (48.4%), White (41.3%), Two or More Races (5.5%). 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 Marrow (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 Marrow mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a vegetable grower or seller, derived from the Old English word "maru." 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 Marrow (1.17 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 Marrow?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.