2000
#494
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 60,999
First available Census row
Per 100,000 22.61
Uncommon Last name
Marsh
An English topographic surname referring to someone who lived near or worked in a marsh or wetland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 68,663 Americans carry the last name Marsh. That puts it at #553 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 20.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 4,992 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Marsh 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 Marsh with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
69K
1 in 4,992
Census rank
#553
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
20.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
60K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 59,877 bearers of the surname Marsh in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 20.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 553rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Marsh, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.9%. The next largest groups are Black (12.0%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Marsh
The surname Marsh originates from England, and it is derived from the Old English word "mersc," which means "marsh" or "fen." This name emerged as a topographic surname, given to individuals who lived near marshy or fenny areas.
The earliest recorded use of the surname Marsh can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Mersc" and "Mersche." These entries indicate that the name was already established in various parts of England during the Norman Conquest.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Marsh was Robert de la Mershe, who lived in Gloucestershire, England, in the late 12th century. Another early bearer of the name was William atte Mersh, recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1327.
The name Marsh is also connected to various place names in England, such as Marsh Green in Hertfordshire, Marsh Gibbon in Buckinghamshire, and Marsh Baldon in Oxfordshire. These place names likely influenced the adoption of the surname by families residing in those areas.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Marsh. One of the most prominent was Narcissus Marsh (1638-1713), an influential Anglican clergyman who served as the Archbishop of Armagh and the Primate of All Ireland from 1702 until his death.
Another notable figure was George Perkins Marsh (1801-1882), an American diplomat, scholar, and one of the earliest proponents of environmental conservation. His influential work, "Man and Nature," published in 1864, is considered a seminal text in the field of environmental studies.
Reginald Marsh (1898-1954) was an American painter and printmaker known for his depictions of urban life in New York City during the Great Depression era. His works capture the vibrant energy and diversity of the city's streets and inhabitants.
Sir Edward Marsh (1872-1953) was a British civil servant, private secretary to Winston Churchill, and a patron of the arts. He played a significant role in promoting and supporting writers and artists, including the Bloomsbury Group.
Ngaio Marsh (1895-1982) was a renowned New Zealand crime writer, best known for her detective fiction featuring Inspector Roderick Alleyn. She wrote 32 novels and numerous short stories and is considered one of the "Queens of Crime" alongside Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Marsh
Among Census respondents with the surname Marsh, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.9%. The next largest groups are Black (12.0%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Marsh 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 Marsh surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.9% · 47,849
- Black or African American12.0% · 7,185
- Two or more races3.8% · 2,251
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 1,887
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 402
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 303
Timeline
Historical Census data for Marsh
Marsh 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
#537
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 62,304
+1,305 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 21.12
Rank movement Down 43 places
2020
#553
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 59,877
-2,427 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 20.03
Rank movement Down 16 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #494 | 60,999 | 22.61 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #537 | 62,304 | 21.12 | +1,305 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 43 places |
| 2020 | #553 | 59,877 | 20.03 | -2,427 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 16 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 Marsh 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 | #537 | #553 | -3.0% |
| Count | 62,304 | 59,877 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 21.12 | 20.03 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Marsh bearers went from 62,304 to 59,877 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 16 positions in the national ranking, going from #537 to #553.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Marsh
FAQ
Marsh surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Marsh?
Name Census estimates that about 68,663 living Americans carry the surname Marsh. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 4,992 residents.
How common is Marsh?
Marsh ranks #553 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 20.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 20 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 59,877 people with the surname Marsh. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (68,663), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 20.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 20.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 20 of them to have the surname Marsh.
Has Marsh become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Marsh went from 62,304 recorded bearers to 59,877. That is a decrease of 2,427 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #537 to #553.
What does the Census say about the background of Marsh?
Among Census respondents with the surname Marsh, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.9%. The next largest groups are Black (12.0%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Marsh in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.9% (47,849 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Marsh appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.9%), Black (12.0%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Marsh (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 Marsh mean?
An English topographic surname referring to someone who lived near or worked in a marsh or wetland. 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 Marsh (20.03 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 Marsh?
Want to know how common the surname Marsh is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.