2000
#3,353
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,749
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.61
Uncommon Last name
Martens
A surname derived from the Germanic name Martin, referring to someone who was a servant of St. Martin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,356 Americans carry the last name Martens. That puts it at #3,513 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.31 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 30,183 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Martens 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 Martens with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 30,183
Census rank
#3,513
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.9K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,903 bearers of the surname Martens in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.31 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3513th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Martens, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Martens
Among Census respondents with the surname Martens, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Martens 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 Martens surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 9,098
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 386
- Two or more races2.7% · 267
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 71
- Black or African American0.5% · 49
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 32
Timeline
Historical Census data for Martens
Martens 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
#3,540
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,096
+347 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 3.42
Rank movement Down 187 places
2020
#3,513
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,903
-193 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 3.31
Rank movement Up 27 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,353 | 9,749 | 3.61 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,540 | 10,096 | 3.42 | +347 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 187 places |
| 2020 | #3,513 | 9,903 | 3.31 | -193 bearers (-1.9%) | Up 27 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 Martens 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 | #3,540 | #3,513 | 0.8% |
| Count | 10,096 | 9,903 | -1.9% |
| Per 100K | 3.42 | 3.31 | -3.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Martens bearers went from 10,096 to 9,903 (-1.9% change). The surname moved up 27 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,540 to #3,513.
FAQ
Martens surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Martens?
Name Census estimates that about 11,356 living Americans carry the surname Martens. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 30,183 residents.
How common is Martens?
Martens ranks #3,513 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.31 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,903 people with the surname Martens. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,356), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.31 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.31 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Martens.
Has Martens become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Martens went from 10,096 recorded bearers to 9,903. That is a decrease of 193 (-1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,540 to #3,513.
What does the Census say about the background of Martens?
Among Census respondents with the surname Martens, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Martens in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (9,098 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Martens appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Hispanic (3.9%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Martens (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 Martens mean?
A surname derived from the Germanic name Martin, referring to someone who was a servant of St. Martin. 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 Martens (3.31 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 Martens?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.