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

Martial, 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 Martial surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Martial in America

Martial is the 77788th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Martial surname appeared 246 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Martial.

We can also compare 2010 data for Martial 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 Martial

The surname Martial originated in France during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Late Latin word "Martialis," which means "of Mars," the Roman god of war. The name was likely given to someone who exhibited martial qualities or who was associated with military service or warfare.

The earliest recorded use of the surname Martial can be traced back to the 12th century in the region of Normandy, France. It was often spelled as "Martel" or "Martell" during this time. In the 13th century, the name appeared in various records and manuscripts, including the Domesday Book, which was a survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Martial was Gilles Martial, a French painter who lived in the 15th century. He was known for his religious artwork and is credited with creating several altarpieces and frescoes in churches throughout France.

Another prominent figure was André Martial, a French poet and scholar who lived from 1508 to 1588. He was renowned for his Latin poetry and served as a professor of Greek and Latin at the University of Paris.

In the 17th century, Pierre Martial, a French composer and organist, made significant contributions to the development of French Baroque music. He was born in 1594 and served as the organist at the Church of Saint-Gervais in Paris.

During the 18th century, Jean-Baptiste Martial Cérat, a French sculptor, gained recognition for his works in marble and bronze. He was born in 1728 and was a member of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture in Paris.

In the 19th century, Émile Martial Massard, a French artist and engraver, became known for his etchings and lithographs depicting scenes from everyday life in France. He was born in 1804 and his works are now part of several museum collections across Europe.

The surname Martial has been associated with various places throughout France, such as Martiel, a commune in the Aveyron department, and Martillac, a commune in the Gironde department. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname in different regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Martial

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

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

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

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