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

Martin, 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 Martin surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Martin in America

Martin is the 20th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Martin surname appeared 702,625 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 238 people would have the surname Martin.

We can also compare 2010 data for Martin 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 Martin

The surname Martin is of French origin, derived from the ancient Roman name Martinus, which is a derivative of the name Mars, the Roman god of war. The name became popular across Europe during the Middle Ages, largely due to the influence of Saint Martin of Tours, who lived in the 4th century AD.

The earliest recorded instances of the Martin surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears in various spellings, such as Martin, Martyn, and Marten, indicating that it was already well-established in England by the 11th century.

During the Norman Conquest of England in the 11th century, many French nobles and soldiers bearing the Martin surname accompanied William the Conqueror. This likely contributed to the widespread adoption of the name across Britain. Over time, the surname also spread to other parts of Europe, including Germany, Italy, and Spain.

One of the earliest notable figures with the Martin surname was William Martin, a 12th-century English judge and landowner. Another prominent individual was Sir Henry Martin (c. 1533-1598), an English soldier and Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

In France, the Martin surname has been associated with several notable figures throughout history. One example is André Martin (1621-1699), a French Protestant theologian and writer. Another is Étienne Martin (1913-1995), a French Catholic priest and philosopher who played a significant role in the French Resistance during World War II.

The Martin surname has also been prominent in the United States. Among the notable Americans with this surname are John Martin (1789-1854), a 19th-century painter known for his epic landscapes and biblical scenes, and Joseph William Martin Jr. (1884-1971), a prominent Republican politician who served as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1947 to 1949.

Overall, the Martin surname has a rich history spanning centuries and continents, reflecting its widespread adoption and the diverse achievements of those who have borne this name throughout the ages.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Martin

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Martin, 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!