Marble History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Norman Conquest of England in 1066 brought much change to the island nation, including many immigrants with new names. Among these immigrants were the ancestors of the Marble family, who lived in Cheshire, at the manor of Marple which dates back to the 13th century when it was then known as Merpille and literally meant "pool or stream at the boundary," having derived from the Old English "maere" + "pyll." [1]

Early Origins of the Marble family

The surname Marble was first found in Cheshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Marple, more anciently spelt Merpul. The first record of ownership of the estates was when Randle, Earl of Chester granted the manorial rights to Robert of Stockport. This is most likely the earliest scion of the Marple family name. He sold the estate to Sir George Vernon, known as 'The King of the Peak' Chief of one those rugged east Cheshire families who controlled the forests of Cheshire and Derbyshire. Marple Hall remains, and in the 19th century was the seat of the notable Isherwood family, having previously been the seat of the Bradshaws.

Interestingly, one of the theories of the origin of Agatha Christie's fictional character Miss Marple was that it was taken the name from a family named Marple, who lived at Marple Hall near her sister Madge's home at Abney Hall.

The first records of the Marble variant were found on the Isle of Man where Robert Marbull and Hugh Marble were listed in 1479 and 1531, respectively. [2]

Early History of the Marble family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Marble research. Another 50 words (4 lines of text) covering the year 1921 is included under the topic Early Marble History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Marble Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years the English language had no fixed system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations occurred commonly in Anglo Norman surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Marble were recorded, including Marple, Marples, Marble, Marbles, Merple, Merpel, Merpels, Merples, Merbles, Merble and many more.

Early Notables of the Marble family

More information is included under the topic Early Marble Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Marble Ranking

In the United States, the name Marble is the 4,470^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. [3]

Marble migration to the United States +

The unstable environment in England at this time caused numerous families to board ships and leave in search of opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad in places like Ireland, Australia, and particularly the New World. The voyage was extremely difficult, however, and only taken at great expense. The cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels caused many to arrive diseased and starving, not to mention destitute from the enormous cost. Still opportunity in the emerging nations of Canada and the United States was far greater than at home and many went on to make important contributions to the cultures of their adopted countries. An examination of many early immigration records reveals that people bearing the name Marble arrived in North America very early:

Marble Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Marble, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1646 [4]
William Marble and his wife Elizabeth who settled in New England in 1652
William Marble, who landed in Charlestown, Massachusetts in 1654 [4]

Marble Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Richard and his wife Elizabeth Marble, who settled in Pennsylvania in 1773
Ambrose Marble, who arrived in Mississippi in 1798 [4]
Abner Marble, who landed in Mississippi in 1799 [4]
Theophiley Marble, who arrived in Mississippi in 1799 [4]

Marble Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

J. L. Marble settled in San Francisco, California in 1852
W. Marble, who settled in Acapulco, Mexico, in 1852

Contemporary Notables of the name Marble (post 1700) +

Alfred Clark "Chip" Marble Jr. (1936-2017), American Episcopal prelate, Bishop of Mississippi (1993–2003)
Roy Devyn Marble (b. 1992), American professional basketball player, son of Roy Marble
Roy Lane Marble Jr. (1966-2015), American professional basketball player
Annie Russell Marble (1864-1936), American essayist
John Hobart Marble (1869-1913), American attorney and government official, appointed to the Interstate Commerce Commission in 1913 until his death eight months later
Harmon Percy Marble (1870-1945), American politician, Mayor in Las Vegas and photographer of Native Americans
Scott Marble (1847-1919), American playwright, best known for his 1896 stage melodrama The Great Train Robbery
Manton Marble (1834-1917), American journalist, proprietor and editor of the New York World from 1860 to 1876
Alice Marble (1913-1990), World No. 1 American tennis player who won 18 Grand Slam championships (1936–1940)
George Marble, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Michigan State House of Representatives from Osceola District, 1938 [5]
... (Another 14 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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