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Mar History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Sources

Mar History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France
Scotland
England

Etymology of Mar

What does the name Mar mean?

The name Mar 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 Mar family

The surname Mar 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 Mar family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mar 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 Mar History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mar Spelling Variations

French surnames were subject to numerous spelling alterations depending on the region and time it was used. The early development of the French language relied heavily on borrowing elements and grammar from other languages. For example, Old French was infused with Germanic words and sounds when barbarian tribes invaded and settled in France after the fall of the Roman Empire. Middle French also borrowed heavily from the Italian language during the Renaissance. As a result of these linguistic and cultural influences, the name Mar is distinguished by a number of regional variations. The many spelling variations of the name include 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 Mar family

Notable amongst the family in this period was

Guillaume de la Marre, treasurer of France at Dijon...

Mar Ranking

In the United States, the name Mar is the 14,249^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4 However, in France, the name Mar is ranked the 7,098^th most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 5

Mar migration to the United States +

In 1643, 109 years after the first landings by Cartier, there were only about 300 people in Quebec. Migration was slow. The fur trade attracted migrants, both noble and commoner. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec. By the same year 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 Mar 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 Mar were

Mar Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Mar, who arrived in Virginia in 1662 6

Mar Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Nicti Mar, who landed in Virginia in 1701 6
Joseph Mar, who settled in Louisiana in 1721
Andrew Murray Mar, aged 25, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1774 6
G F Mar, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1788 6

Mar Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Hernando DeLa Mar, who landed in America in 1813 6
Fco Mar, aged 25, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1826 6
Mr. Phillip Mar, (Mahr), aged 23, German who arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1845 aboard the ship "Strabo"
Mr. Andreas Mar, aged 20, German who arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1845 aboard the ship "Strabo"
D Mar, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Mar migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Mar Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

T. Mar, aged 27, German settler who arrived in Victoria, Australia aboard the ship "Carl" in 1857

Contemporary Notables of the name Mar (post 1700) +

J. Ernest Mar, American politician, Candidate for Connecticut State House of Representatives from Orange, 1912 7
Emma Wong Mar, American politician, Representative from California 9th District, 1994 7
Eric Lee Mar (b. 1962), American California politician
Norman Del Mar CBE (1919-1994), British conductor, horn player, and biographer
Gary Glen Mar QC (b. 1962), Canadian politician in Alberta
John Erskine Mar (1675-1732), Scottish Jacobite
Mar Abascal (b. 1980), Spanish actress
Mar Toma "Thomas" Audo (1854-1918), Archbishop of the Chaldean Catholic Church

Historic Events for the Mar family +

USS Arizona

Mr. Ralph B La Mar, American Fire Controlman Third Class from California, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 8

Sources +

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 22) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html