2000
#3,473
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,404
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.49
Uncommon Last name
Marx
A German and Jewish surname derived from a shortened form of the given name Marcus or Mark.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,201 Americans carry the last name Marx. That puts it at #3,048 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 25,964 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Marx 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 Marx with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 25,964
Census rank
#3,048
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,512 bearers of the surname Marx in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3048th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Marx, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Marx
The surname MARX is of German origin, deriving from the Latin name Marcus, which in turn originated from the Roman god of war, Mars. The name first appeared in the 9th century in the region that is now modern-day Germany.
MARX is thought to have evolved from the Old German word "marc," meaning boundary or frontier. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a boundary or border area. Alternatively, it could have been an occupational name for someone who worked as a boundary guard or marker.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name MARX dates back to the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of medieval Saxon documents from the 12th century. The name is listed as "Marcvs" in this text.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in the Hirsauer Codex, a manuscript from the Hirsau Abbey in the Black Forest region of Germany, written as "Marcvs."
The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of England conducted in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror, does not contain any direct references to the surname MARX, as it was primarily focused on documenting landowners and their holdings.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname MARX was Johann Marx, a German theologian and reformer born in 1491 in Nuremberg, Germany. He was a supporter of Martin Luther and played a role in the Protestant Reformation.
Another notable figure was the philosopher and economist Karl Marx, born in 1818 in Trier, Prussia (now part of Germany). He is best known for his influential works on socialism and communism, such as "Das Kapital" and "The Communist Manifesto."
In the 19th century, the MARX surname was also associated with the Marx Brothers, a famous group of American comedians and entertainers, including Chico Marx (born 1887), Harpo Marx (born 1888), Groucho Marx (born 1890), and Zeppo Marx (born 1901).
The name MARX has also been connected to various place names in Germany, such as the town of Marxheim in Bavaria and the village of Marx in Rhineland-Palatinate.
Throughout history, other individuals with the surname MARX have made significant contributions in various fields, including the German composer Adolf Bernhard Marx (1795-1866), known for his works on music theory and history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Marx
Among Census respondents with the surname Marx, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Marx 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 Marx surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 10,535
- Two or more races3.1% · 361
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 356
- Black or African American1.0% · 117
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 99
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 44
Timeline
Historical Census data for Marx
Marx 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
#3,062
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,716
+2,312 bearers (+24.6%)
Per 100,000 3.97
Rank movement Up 411 places
2020
#3,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,512
-204 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 3.85
Rank movement Up 14 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,473 | 9,404 | 3.49 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,062 | 11,716 | 3.97 | +2,312 bearers (+24.6%) | Up 411 places |
| 2020 | #3,048 | 11,512 | 3.85 | -204 bearers (-1.7%) | Up 14 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 Marx 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 | #3,062 | #3,048 | 0.5% |
| Count | 11,716 | 11,512 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 3.97 | 3.85 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Marx bearers went from 11,716 to 11,512 (-1.7% change). The surname moved up 14 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,062 to #3,048.
FAQ
Marx surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Marx?
Name Census estimates that about 13,201 living Americans carry the surname Marx. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 25,964 residents.
How common is Marx?
Marx ranks #3,048 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.85 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,512 people with the surname Marx. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,201), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.85 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Marx.
Has Marx become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Marx went from 11,716 recorded bearers to 11,512. That is a decrease of 204 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,062 to #3,048.
What does the Census say about the background of Marx?
Among Census respondents with the surname Marx, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Marx in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (10,535 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Marx appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Marx (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 Marx mean?
A German and Jewish surname derived from a shortened form of the given name Marcus or Mark. 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 Marx (3.85 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 Marx?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.