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

Martínez, 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 Martínez surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Martínez in America

Martínez is the 100791st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Martínez surname appeared 179 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 Martínez.

The history of the last name Martínez

The surname MARTINZE is believed to have originated in Spain during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Roman name Martinus, which was a common name given to children born around the feast day of St. Martin of Tours. The name Martinus itself comes from the Latin word "martis," meaning "of Mars," the Roman god of war.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname MARTINZE can be found in various Spanish documents from the 13th and 14th centuries. For example, a record from the city of Seville in 1287 mentions a certain Pedro Martinze, who was a landowner in the region. Another notable early bearer of the name was Juan Martinze de Cervantes, a poet and playwright from the 15th century who was born in Guadalajara, Spain.

In the 16th century, the MARTINZE surname began to spread beyond Spain as Spanish explorers and colonists ventured to the Americas and other parts of the world. One famous bearer of the name from this era was Pedro de Alvarado y Martinze, a Spanish conquistador who played a key role in the conquest of Mexico and Guatemala in the 1520s and 1530s.

During the 17th century, the MARTINZE surname was also found in various parts of Europe, particularly in Portugal and Italy. A notable figure from this time period was Miguel Martinze de Carvalho, a Portuguese diplomat and statesman who served as the ambassador to France in the late 1600s.

In the 18th century, the MARTINZE name appeared in various parts of the Spanish Empire, including the Philippines and Latin America. One prominent individual with this surname was Sebastián Martinze y Cubero, a Spanish military officer and governor of the Philippines from 1761 to 1766.

As the MARTINZE surname spread across the globe, it underwent various spelling variations, including Martinez, Martines, and Martini, among others. Despite these variations, the name has remained a proud part of Spanish and Hispanic heritage, with many notable individuals bearing the MARTINZE surname throughout history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Martínez

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

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 Martínez 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.

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

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

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