2000
#15,061
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,797
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.67
Rare Last name
Marshburn
An English surname referring to someone who lived near a swampy area or marsh.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,125 Americans carry the last name Marshburn. That puts it at #15,248 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 161,296 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Marshburn 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.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 161,296
Census rank
#15,248
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,853 bearers of the surname Marshburn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15248th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Marshburn, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.3%. The next largest groups are Black (13.0%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Marshburn
The surname Marshburn is an English toponymic name derived from a place name, likely referring to a location near a marsh or a stream. It is believed to have originated in the medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century.
The name is composed of two elements: "marsh," which refers to a wetland area, and "burn," an Old English word meaning a small stream or a rivulet. This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a marshy area with a small stream or brook.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Marshburn can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, where a Robert de Mershburne is mentioned. This indicates that variations of the name were already in use during the 14th century.
In the 15th century, the name appeared in various records, such as the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, where a John Mersheburne was listed in 1435. Additionally, the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1464 mentioned a Thomas Marshborne.
During the 16th century, the spelling of the name became more standardized, with variations like Marshburn and Marsheburne appearing in records. One notable individual from this period was William Marshborne, a merchant from London who was mentioned in the Proceedings of the Court of Chancery in 1538.
In the 17th century, the name continued to be found in various records across England. For example, the Parish Registers of St. Mary's Church in Beverley, Yorkshire, recorded the baptism of John Marshburn in 1632, and the Marriage Registers of St. Peter's Church in Leeds listed the union of William Marshburn and Elizabeth Thorne in 1664.
One prominent figure with the surname Marshburn was Sir Thomas Marshburn (1608-1684), a wealthy landowner and Member of Parliament for Thetford in Norfolk during the reign of Charles II.
In the 18th century, the name appeared in various genealogical records and parish registers. One notable individual was John Marshburn (1726-1801), a successful merchant and philanthropist from Bristol, who donated significant funds to support local charities and educational institutions.
The 19th century saw the name continue to be found across England, with individuals like Samuel Marshburn (1817-1892), a respected educator and headmaster of a prestigious grammar school in Oxfordshire, and Emily Marshburn (1845-1923), a pioneering female architect who designed several notable buildings in London.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Marshburn
Among Census respondents with the surname Marshburn, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.3%. The next largest groups are Black (13.0%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Marshburn 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 Marshburn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.3% · 1,488
- Black or African American13.0% · 240
- Two or more races2.9% · 53
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 46
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Marshburn
Marshburn 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
#15,508
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,887
+90 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Down 447 places
2020
#15,248
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,853
-34 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Up 260 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,061 | 1,797 | 0.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,508 | 1,887 | 0.64 | +90 bearers (+5.0%) | Down 447 places |
| 2020 | #15,248 | 1,853 | 0.62 | -34 bearers (-1.8%) | Up 260 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 Marshburn 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 | #15,508 | #15,248 | 1.7% |
| Count | 1,887 | 1,853 | -1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.64 | 0.62 | -3.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Marshburn bearers went from 1,887 to 1,853 (-1.8% change). The surname moved up 260 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,508 to #15,248.
FAQ
Marshburn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Marshburn?
Name Census estimates that about 2,125 living Americans carry the surname Marshburn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 161,296 residents.
How common is Marshburn?
Marshburn ranks #15,248 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 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 1,853 people with the surname Marshburn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,125), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 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 Marshburn.
Has Marshburn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Marshburn went from 1,887 recorded bearers to 1,853. That is a decrease of 34 (-1.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,508 to #15,248.
What does the Census say about the background of Marshburn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Marshburn, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.3%. The next largest groups are Black (13.0%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Marshburn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.3% (1,488 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Marshburn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.3%), Black (13.0%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Marshburn (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 Marshburn mean?
An English surname referring to someone who lived near a swampy area or marsh. 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 Marshburn (0.62 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 surname Marshburn?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.