Contents [hide]

Mare History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Mare History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France
Scotland
Ireland

The founding heritage of the Mare family is in the Anglo-Saxon culture that once dominated in Britain. The name Mare comes from when one of the family worked as a person who held the office of mayor. The surname was originally derived from the Old English word maire, which referred to the officer who was in charge of executing summonses and other legal matters. Therefore, the original bearer of the surname Mare held the office of Mayor. 1

Early Origins of the Mare family

The surname Mare was first found in Cheshire at Mere, a township, in the parish of Rosthern, union of Altrincham, hundred of Bucklow. The place name dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 where it was first listed as Mera. 2

Literally, the place name means "(place at) the pool or lake," from the Old English word "mere." 3 Alternatively, the surname could have originated at Mere in Wiltshire, a market-town and parish, and the head of a union, in the hundred of Mere. This parish was listed in the Domesday Book, but with the current spelling of Mere. 2

In this case, "the name of this place is derived from the Saxon word Mæra, signifying bounds or limits, and indicates its situation on the borders of the counties of Wilts, Somerset, and Dorset. In 1253, permission was given by Henry III. to Richard, Earl of Cornwall, to build and fortify a castle on his manor of Mere, and the manor has ever since been attached to the duchy of Cornwall. " 4

The family was listed in the Roll of Battle Abbey as companions to William the Conqueror. "The descendants of this Norman knight occupied a prominent position in Staffordshire, in the time of the early Plantagenets. William de Mere occurs as High Sheriff of that county, temp. Edward II., and in the next reign, Peter de la Mere filled the Speaker's chair in the House of Commons. At an early period, the family possessed the manor of Maer, co. Stafford, and are also found resident at Norton, in the Moors. The name is spelt, in ancient deeds, de Mere, de Mare, but the more recent orthography is Mayer. " 5

For centuries the township of Lartington in the North Riding of Yorkshire belonged to the Maire family until the 16th century when it was passed by marriage to the Lawsons, of Brough. 4

Early History of the Mare family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mare research. Another 158 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1379, 1453, 1467, 1477, 1544, 1550 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Mare History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mare Spelling Variations

The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Mare has been spelled many different ways, including Maire, Myer, Myers, Mair, Maires, Mayers, Meyers, Meire, Meir, Mere and many more.

Early Notables of the Mare family

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

Mare Ranking

In France, the name Mare is the 6,623^rd most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 6

Migration of the Mare family to Ireland

Some of the Mare family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 85 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mare migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Mares to arrive in North America:

Mare Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Rowland Mare, who arrived in Maryland in 1641 7
John Mare, who settled in Virginia in 1651
Piere Mare, who landed in New Netherland(s) in 1662 7
Mary Mare, who settled in Virginia in 1663
Andrew and Mary Mare, who settled in Virginia in 1663
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Mare Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Nicholas Mare, who arrived in Virginia in 1700 7
Nicholas Mare with his wife and two children settled in Virginia in 1700
Nicholas Mare, who settled in Virginia with his wife and two children in 1700
Ralph Mare, who landed in Virginia in 1714 7
William Mare, who arrived in Maryland in 1716 7

Mare Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Samuel Mare, who landed in America in 1807 7
W B Mare, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 7
Federico Mare, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1860 7

Mare migration to Australia +

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

Mare Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Mare, British Convict who was convicted in Devon, England for life, transported aboard the "Earl Spencer" in May 1813, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
Mr. John Mare, (b. 1831), aged 26, Cornish farm labourer travelling aboard the ship "Herefordshire" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 27th May 1857 9
Mrs. Eliza Mare, (b. 1836), aged 21, Cornish house servant travelling aboard the ship "Herefordshire" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 27th May 1857 9
Miss Louisa Mare, (b. 1855), aged 2, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "Herefordshire" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 27th May 1857, she died on board 9
Mr. John Mare, (b. 1856), aged Infant, English settler, from Devonshire, England, UK travelling aboard the ship "Herefordshire" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 27th May 1857 9

Mare migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Mare Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

James Mare, aged 30, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "City of Auckland" in 1872
Catherine Mare, aged 27, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "City of Auckland" in 1872

Mare migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 10

Mare Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Alice Mare, aged 22, who settled in Barbados in 1635
Alce Mare, aged 22, who arrived in Barbados in 1635 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Mare (post 1700) +

Carlos H. Le Mare, American politician, U.S. Consular Agent in Iquique, 1916-17; U.S. Vice Consul in Iquique, 1921
Carlos H. Le Mare (b. 1868), American politician, U.S. Vice Consul in Iquique, 1912; U.S. Vice & Deputy Consul in Iquique, 1914; U.S. Consular Agent in Iquique, 1915-18

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 8th September 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-spencer
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_nsw_1850_59.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies