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

Martens, 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 Martens surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Martens in America

Martens is the 3540th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Martens surname appeared 10,096 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Martens.

We can also compare 2010 data for Martens 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 Martens

The surname Martens is believed to have originated in the Netherlands, specifically in the regions of Holland and Flanders. It is a patronymic surname, derived from the medieval personal name "Marten," which was a Dutch diminutive of the name Martin. The name Martin is thought to be derived from the Roman name Martinus, a derivative of Mars, the Roman god of war.

Martens is a common surname in the Netherlands, Belgium, and parts of northern Germany. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the 14th century in the city of Leiden, where a certain "Johannes Martens" is mentioned in a legal document from 1387.

The surname Martens is also found in the records of the wealthy merchant city of Bruges, in Flanders, during the 15th century. A notable figure from this time was Pieter Martens (c. 1440-1501), a renowned printer and publisher who established one of the earliest printing houses in the Low Countries.

In the 16th century, the Martens surname is documented in various parts of the Netherlands, including Amsterdam and Friesland. One notable individual from this period was Dirck Martensz (c. 1535-1611), a Dutch navigator and explorer who was involved in the early Dutch expeditions to the East Indies and the Arctic.

The Martens surname later spread to other parts of Europe, including England and Germany. One notable figure from this period was Georg Friedrich von Martens (1756-1821), a German lawyer and diplomat who played a significant role in the Congress of Vienna in 1815.

Another notable individual with the Martens surname was Eduard von Martens (1831-1904), a Russian jurist and diplomat who made significant contributions to the development of international law. He served as a representative for Russia at various international conferences, including the Hague Peace Conferences of 1899 and 1907.

In the Netherlands, the surname Martens has remained a prominent one, with several notable individuals bearing the name throughout history. One such person was Gerrit Martens (1824-1904), a Dutch painter and lithographer known for his landscapes and urban scenes. Another was Dirk Martens (1911-2006), a Dutch artist and sculptor who was known for his abstract and geometric works.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Martens

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

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 Martens 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 Martens 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 Martens was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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