2000
#4,640
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,988
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.59
Rare Last name
Martini
An Italian occupational surname referring to a person who served as a sexton or caretaker of a church.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,490 Americans carry the last name Martini. That puts it at #4,643 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.48 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 40,372 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Martini 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 Martini with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.5K
1 in 40,372
Census rank
#4,643
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,404 bearers of the surname Martini in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.48 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4643rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Martini, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.6%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Martini
The surname Martini has its origins in Italy, where it first emerged during the medieval period. The name is derived from the Latin word "Martinus," which translates to "of Mars" or "dedicated to Mars." This name was originally a personal name given to a child born on the day of Mars, which was considered auspicious in ancient Roman culture.
The Martini surname likely originated in Northern Italy, particularly in the regions of Lombardy and Veneto, where it was commonly found in historical records dating back to the 12th century. It is believed that the name was initially given as a personal name to individuals born on the Roman festival of Mars, which was celebrated annually on March 1st.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname Martini can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Cavensis, a collection of medieval documents from the Abbey of Cava in southern Italy, dating back to the year 1130. This record references a individual named "Martinus de Venetiis," which translates to "Martino of Venice."
In the 13th century, the name Martini began to appear in various Italian city records and historical documents. For example, a notable figure named Guglielmo Martini, born around 1225, was a renowned philosopher and theologian from the city of Parma. He is known for his influential work on the theory of natural law.
Another prominent individual with the Martini surname was Giovanni Battista Martini, born in 1706 in Bologna. He was a highly respected Italian composer, music theorist, and teacher, who is considered one of the most influential figures in the development of the classical style of music.
During the Renaissance period, the Martini family played a significant role in the cultural and political landscape of Italy. One notable member was Simone Martini, a celebrated Italian painter born in Siena around 1285. He is renowned for his masterpieces, including the altarpiece "Maestà" and the fresco cycle in the Basilica of San Francesco in Assisi.
In the 17th century, a member of the Martini family, Giambattista Martini, born in 1622 in Bologna, gained recognition as a renowned mathematician and physicist. He is best known for his contributions to the study of optics and his work on the theory of refraction.
Throughout history, the Martini surname has been associated with various place names and locations in Italy, such as Martinsicuro, a town in the province of Teramo, and Martina Franca, a town in the province of Taranto. These place names likely derived from the personal name Martino or Martini, reflecting the prevalence of the surname in those regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Martini
Among Census respondents with the surname Martini, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.6%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Martini 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 Martini surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.3% · 6,539
- Hispanic or Latino6.6% · 489
- Two or more races2.7% · 202
- Black or African American1.1% · 80
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 76
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Martini
Martini 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
#4,658
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,612
+624 bearers (+8.9%)
Per 100,000 2.58
Rank movement Down 18 places
2020
#4,643
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,404
-208 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 2.48
Rank movement Up 15 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,640 | 6,988 | 2.59 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,658 | 7,612 | 2.58 | +624 bearers (+8.9%) | Down 18 places |
| 2020 | #4,643 | 7,404 | 2.48 | -208 bearers (-2.7%) | Up 15 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 Martini 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 | #4,658 | #4,643 | 0.3% |
| Count | 7,612 | 7,404 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.58 | 2.48 | -4.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Martini bearers went from 7,612 to 7,404 (-2.7% change). The surname moved up 15 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,658 to #4,643.
FAQ
Martini surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Martini?
Name Census estimates that about 8,490 living Americans carry the surname Martini. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 40,372 residents.
How common is Martini?
Martini ranks #4,643 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.48 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,404 people with the surname Martini. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,490), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.48 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.48 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Martini.
Has Martini become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Martini went from 7,612 recorded bearers to 7,404. That is a decrease of 208 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,658 to #4,643.
What does the Census say about the background of Martini?
Among Census respondents with the surname Martini, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.6%) 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 Martini in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.3% (6,539 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Martini appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.3%), Hispanic (6.6%), 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 Martini (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 Martini mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to a person who served as a sexton or caretaker of a church. 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 Martini (2.48 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 share the surname Martini?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.