The Martin surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 702,625 people carried this name — #20 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 420 people counted. That is up 4% from 672,711 in 2000.
What the name means
The meaning of the Martin surname
A surname originating as a patronymic.
From Latin Mārtīnus (“of or like Mars” or “little Mars”), Mārs, Mārtis + -īnus (diminutive suffix).
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Martin» (German), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 107,789 people named Martin.
3,443 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 109 départements, most often Paris.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 54,693 people named Martin live in Argentina.
RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890
Ireland registered 326 births for the Martin name in 1890.
They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 14,500 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. One of them was indexed under another spelling of the name.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they were born, 1890
Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.
In Belgium’s population register
At least 8,095 people named Martin live in Belgium.
Statbel only publishes a name in a municipality when five or more people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Liège.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
Statbel (Statistics Belgium), family names of the population by municipality, 1 January 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
7,375 people named Martin live in Switzerland.
They live in 24 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Vaud.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In Poland’s population register
832 people named Martin have a registered home in Poland.
Of the 1,477 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in all 16 of Poland’s voivodeships, most of all in Greater Poland.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.
In the Nordic population registers
2,761 people named Martin are counted in Sweden, Finland and Norway.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Norway publishes only surnames with 200 or more bearers. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.
Counted, by country
Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Statistics Norway (SSB, ssb.no), table 12891, 2025 — CC BY 4.0 · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In print
Martin in American newspapers,
1902–1919.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 4,123,944 pages in all carry the name.
Who carried it
People named Martin,
with a public archive behind them.
-
John Martin 1789–1854 · writer -
Joshua L. Martin 1799–1856 · judge -
Eduard Arnold Martin 1809–1875 · physician -
Konrad Martin 1812–1879 · bishop -
Lajos Martin 1827–1897 · engineer
Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · 86 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Martin.
- Marthey 131 · U.S. census
- Marti 4,860 · U.S. census
- Martial 246 · U.S. census
- Marticorena 192 · U.S. census
- Martig 187 · U.S. census
- Martignoni 152 · U.S. census
- Martina 1,565 · U.S. census
- Martinage 100 · U.S. census
- Martinat 101 · U.S. census
- Martine 2,227 · U.S. census
- Martineau 5,006 · U.S. census
- Martinel 157 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Martin is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.