Mars History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France
England

Etymology of Mars

What does the name Mars mean?

The name Mars was originally "De La Mare, from the great fief of La Mare, near St. Opportune, in the comune of Autretot, Normandy; where their castle was built upon piles on the margin of the lake still called Grande-mare." 1

One source claims the name was derived from the Old French word "marre," meaning "a ram."

Early Origins of the Mars family

The surname Mars was first found in Normandy where "Sire de la Mare is one of the Norman nobles enumerated by Wace at the battle of Hastings; and the family became very numerous both in Normandy and England. Sir William de la Mare, and his lands in the valley of La Mare, are mentioned in a charter of St. Louis, dated 1259; and as many as nine Sires de La Mare (almost all of them bearing different arms) are entered on the roll of "Gentilshommes de la Normandie" given in the Nobiliaire." 1

The ancestor of the English families, Norman de La Mare, lived c. 1030 and Hugo de La Mare occurs in the Breton charter in 1070. This was one of his sons, of whom four went to England at the Conquest. 2

William de Mare was an undertenant in Wiltshire and Herefordshire according to the Domesday Book of 1086. 3

Early History of the Mars family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mars research. Another 302 words (22 lines of text) covering the years 1375, 1383, 1384, 1388, 1391, 1397, 1585, 1610, 1629, 1637, 1653, 1660, 1674, 1680, 1712 and 1738 are included under the topic Early Mars History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mars Spelling Variations

Most surnames have experienced slight spelling changes. A son may not chose to spell his name the same way that his father did. Many were errors, many deliberate. During the early development of the French language, a person usually gave his version, phonetically, to a scribe, a priest, or a recorder. Prefixes or suffixes varied. They were optional as they passed through the centuries, or were adopted by different branches to signify either a political or religious adherence. Hence, there a many spelling variations of the name Mars, including Marre, Marres, Mar, La Marre, La Mare, La Marres, La Mares, La Mar, Maur, Maure, Maures, Maurre, Maurres, More, Mores, Morre, Mars, Maurs, Moure, Mourre, Merre, Mer, Mere and many more.

Early Notables of the Mars family

Notable amongst the family in this period was Guillaume de la Marre, treasurer of France at Dijon. Thomas Lamer (died 1397), of Dorchester (Dorset) and London was an English politician. He was a Member (MP) of the Parliament of England...
Another 39 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Mars Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mars Ranking

In the United States, the name Mars is the 6,430^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 4 However, in France, the name Mars is ranked the 2,496^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,500 - 3,000 people with that name. 5

Mars migration to the United States +

France was active as a cultural leader in the early 16th century. One particular area in which they lead was the exploration of the New World. The explorers, like Jacques Cartier in 1534, led the way to North America. Champlain, in 1608, made the first of twenty voyages to France to attract settlers and brought the first migrant in 1617. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec, and the French Acadian presence in the Maritimes had reached 500. The French founded Lower Canada, thus becoming one of the two great founding nations of Canada. The family name Mars has made many distinguished contributions in France and New France to the world of science, culture, religion, and education. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Mars were

Mars Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Thomas Des Mars, who arrived in Louisiana in 1719 6
Jan De Mars, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1742 6

Mars Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Marie Mars, aged 23, who arrived in New York, NY in 1847 6
Fried Hese Mars, aged 29, who landed in New York, NY in 1847 6
Hortenze Mars, aged 14, who landed in New York, NY in 1847 6
George Mars, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1877 6
James Mars, who arrived in Arkansas in 1888 6

Mars migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Mars Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Robert Mars, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750

Contemporary Notables of the name Mars (post 1700) +

Bruno Mars (b. 1985), stage name of Peter Gene Hernandez, an American eleven-time Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, and choreographer
Franklin Clarence "Franck C." Mars (1883-1934), American business magnate who founded the food company Mars, Incorporated
Forrest Edward Mars Jr. (1931-2016), American billionaire, grandson of Frank C. Mars, the founder of Mars, Incorporated, the confectionery company
Forrest Edward Mars Sr. (1904-1999), American businessman best known for inventing M&M's and the Mars bar
Chris Mars (b. 1961), American artist and musician
Kenneth Mars (1936-2011), American television, movie and voice actor
Robert A. De Mars, American Democratic Party politician, Mayor of Lincoln Park, Michigan, 1967; Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Michigan, 1968; Candidate in primary for Michigan State Senate 10th District, 1970 7
Thomas Mars (b. 1829), American politician, Member of Michigan State Senate 13th District, 1881-82 8
John Moore Mars, American politician, Member of South Carolina State Senate from Abbeville County, 1935-50 8
James Dunklin Mars, American politician, Member of South Carolina State Senate from Abbeville County, 1955-58 8
... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 2 of 3
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 15) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 26) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html