2000
#6,850
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,523
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.68
Rare Last name
Mars
A surname derived from the Roman god of war or referring to someone from the French city of Mars.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,166 Americans carry the last name Mars. That puts it at #7,144 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.51 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 66,348 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mars 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 Mars with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.2K
1 in 66,348
Census rank
#7,144
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,505 bearers of the surname Mars in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.51 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7144th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mars, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.0%. The next largest groups are Black (26.1%) and Hispanic (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mars
The surname MARS is of English origin, deriving from the surname March, which itself originated from the Norman French word "march" meaning a borderland or frontier region. The name likely referred to someone who lived near the borderlands.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname MARS date back to the 13th century. It was a variant spelling of the more common March surname, which appeared in records such as the Hundred Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1273, where a William de la Marche was listed.
In the 14th century, the name MARS appeared in the Yorkshire Poll Tax of 1379, recording a John Mars. The surname was also found in various Medieval manuscripts and records, such as the Calendars of Wills for London, where a John Mars was mentioned in 1392.
The name MARS was sometimes associated with places like Marshwood in Dorset, or derived from the Old English word "mære" meaning a boundary or border. This connection to borderlands or frontier regions likely contributed to the surname's origins.
Notable individuals with the surname MARS throughout history include:
1. John Mars (c. 1350 - 1415), an English landowner and Lord of the Manor of Dunston in Norfolk.
2. William Mars (1594 - 1667), an English clergyman and author of several religious works.
3. Thomas Mars (1717 - 1804), a British army officer who served in the American Revolutionary War.
4. Richard Marsden Mars (1795 - 1868), an English industrialist and founder of the Mars confectionery company.
5. Forrest Mars Sr. (1904 - 1999), an American business magnate and the son of Frank C. Mars, who helped build the Mars confectionery empire.
The surname MARS has a rich history, stemming from its origins in the borderlands and frontier regions of England. Throughout the centuries, individuals with this surname have left their mark in various fields, from landownership and military service to business and religious writings.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mars
Among Census respondents with the surname Mars, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.0%. The next largest groups are Black (26.1%) and Hispanic (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Mars 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 Mars surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White62.0% · 2,794
- Black or African American26.1% · 1,175
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 232
- Two or more races4.3% · 192
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 75
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 37
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mars
Mars 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
#7,580
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,384
-139 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 1.49
Rank movement Down 730 places
2020
#7,144
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,505
+121 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 1.51
Rank movement Up 436 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,850 | 4,523 | 1.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,580 | 4,384 | 1.49 | -139 bearers (-3.1%) | Down 730 places |
| 2020 | #7,144 | 4,505 | 1.51 | +121 bearers (+2.8%) | Up 436 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 Mars 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 | #7,580 | #7,144 | 5.8% |
| Count | 4,384 | 4,505 | 2.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.49 | 1.51 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mars bearers went from 4,384 to 4,505 (+2.8% change). The surname moved up 436 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,580 to #7,144.
FAQ
Mars surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mars?
Name Census estimates that about 5,166 living Americans carry the surname Mars. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 66,348 residents.
How common is Mars?
Mars ranks #7,144 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.51 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 4,505 people with the surname Mars. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,166), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.51 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.51 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 Mars.
Has Mars become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mars went from 4,384 recorded bearers to 4,505. That is an increase of 121 (+2.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,580 to #7,144.
What does the Census say about the background of Mars?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mars, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.0%. The next largest groups are Black (26.1%) and Hispanic (5.1%). 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 Mars in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.0% (2,794 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mars appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (62.0%), Black (26.1%), Hispanic (5.1%). 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 Mars (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 Mars mean?
A surname derived from the Roman god of war or referring to someone from the French city of Mars. 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 Mars (1.51 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 common is the surname Mars?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Mars on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.