Find out how popular the last name Marshall is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Marshall.

Marshall, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Marshall surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Marshall in America

Marshall is the 139th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Marshall surname appeared 183,922 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 62 people would have the surname Marshall.

We can also compare 2010 data for Marshall to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Marshall

The surname MARSHALL is of Old French origin, derived from the word "mareschal", meaning "horse servant" or "keeper of horses". It is believed to have emerged in the 11th century during the Norman conquest of England.

The earliest recorded instances of the MARSHALL surname can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Marescallus" and "Marescaldus". These entries likely referred to individuals who held the position of "marshal" within the royal or noble households, responsible for overseeing the stables and horses.

As the surname spread throughout England, it took on various spellings such as Marshale, Marchal, and Marschall. Over time, the spelling MARSHALL became the most widely adopted form.

One of the earliest known bearers of the MARSHALL surname was John Marshall (c. 1165-1235), a prominent English baron and landowner who served as the Marshal of England under King John and King Henry III.

Another notable figure was William Marshall (c. 1147-1219), a celebrated English knight and statesman who served as the Earl of Pembroke and Regent of England. He played a crucial role in the Magna Carta negotiations and is considered one of the greatest knights of the Middle Ages.

In the 16th century, John Marshall (1534-1597) was an influential English Protestant reformer and dean of Christ Church, Oxford. He worked alongside Archbishop Matthew Parker in revising the Book of Common Prayer.

During the American Revolution, John Marshall (1755-1835) was a prominent Founding Father and the fourth Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court. His influential decisions helped shape the country's legal system and establish the principle of judicial review.

Thomas Riley Marshall (1854-1925) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 28th Vice President of the United States under President Woodrow Wilson from 1913 to 1921.

Throughout history, the MARSHALL surname has been associated with various notable individuals, including military leaders, politicians, lawyers, and religious figures, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and accomplishments of those who have carried this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Marshall

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Marshall.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Marshall was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Marshall has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Marshall was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Marshall, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!