2000
#3,174
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,375
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.85
Uncommon Last name
Marvin
Derived from the Welsh name Merfyn, meaning "marrow" or "settlement near the sea."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,040 Americans carry the last name Marvin. That puts it at #3,604 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.22 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 31,047 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Marvin 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 Marvin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 31,047
Census rank
#3,604
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.6K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,627 bearers of the surname Marvin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.22 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3604th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Marvin, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Black (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Marvin
The surname Marvin originated in England during the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old English personal name "Mærwine," composed of the elements "mære" meaning "famous" and "wine" meaning "friend." This name was often bestowed upon individuals who were friendly or sociable.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Marvin can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, where it is spelled as "Merewine." This suggests that the name may have originated in or around the county of Gloucestershire.
In the 13th century, the surname appeared in various historical records, such as the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1244, where it was spelled "Merwin." The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 also mention a John Merewyn from Oxfordshire.
The Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain the surname Marvin. However, it does include the name "Merewin," which may be a precursor to the modern spelling.
Notable individuals throughout history with the surname Marvin include:
1. Andrew Marvin (1786-1868), an American lawyer and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from New York.
2. Charles Marvin (1858-1935), an English cricketer who played for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club.
3. Dwight Marvin (1848-1940), an American businessman and philanthropist who co-founded the Marvin Manufacturing Company.
4. Frederic Rowland Marvin (1808-1890), an American educator and author, known for his work on popular education.
5. Walter Marvin (1912-1988), a British actor and playwright, best known for his roles in films like "Whisky Galore!" and "The Cruel Sea."
The surname Marvin is also associated with various place names, such as Marvin County in North Carolina, which was named after a local landowner, and the village of Mervyn in Hertfordshire, England, which may share a similar etymology.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Marvin
Among Census respondents with the surname Marvin, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Black (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Marvin 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 Marvin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.5% · 8,421
- Two or more races3.7% · 355
- Black or African American3.7% · 352
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 321
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 101
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 77
Timeline
Historical Census data for Marvin
Marvin 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
#3,468
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,310
-65 bearers (-0.6%)
Per 100,000 3.50
Rank movement Down 294 places
2020
#3,604
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,627
-683 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 3.22
Rank movement Down 136 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,174 | 10,375 | 3.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,468 | 10,310 | 3.50 | -65 bearers (-0.6%) | Down 294 places |
| 2020 | #3,604 | 9,627 | 3.22 | -683 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 136 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 Marvin 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 | #3,468 | #3,604 | -3.9% |
| Count | 10,310 | 9,627 | -6.6% |
| Per 100K | 3.50 | 3.22 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Marvin bearers went from 10,310 to 9,627 (-6.6% change). The surname moved down 136 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,468 to #3,604.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Marvin
FAQ
Marvin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Marvin?
Name Census estimates that about 11,040 living Americans carry the surname Marvin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 31,047 residents.
How common is Marvin?
Marvin ranks #3,604 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.22 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 9,627 people with the surname Marvin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,040), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.22 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.22 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 Marvin.
Has Marvin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Marvin went from 10,310 recorded bearers to 9,627. That is a decrease of 683 (-6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,468 to #3,604.
What does the Census say about the background of Marvin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Marvin, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Black (3.7%). 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 Marvin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.5% (8,421 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Marvin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.5%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Black (3.7%). 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 Marvin (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 Marvin mean?
Derived from the Welsh name Merfyn, meaning "marrow" or "settlement near the sea." 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 Marvin (3.22 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 are called Marvin?
You can see how many people are called Marvin on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.