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Mark History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Mark History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France
Germany
Israel
Ireland

Cornwall, one of the original six "Celtic nations" is the homeland to the surname Mark. A revival of the Cornish language which began in the 9th century AD has begun. No doubt this was the language spoken by distant forebears of the Mark family. Though surnames became common during medieval times, English people were formerly known only by a single name. The way in which hereditary surnames were adopted in medieval England is fascinating. Many Cornish surnames appear to be topographic surnames, which were given to people who resided near physical features such as hills, streams, churches, or types of trees, many are actually habitation surnames. The name Mark is a local type of surname and the Mark family lived on a boundary between two districts. Literally the name meant "dweller by the boundary" from the Old English word "mearc." 1

Early Origins of the Mark family

The surname Mark was first found in Essex where "Adelolfus de Merc held lands under Eustace Earl of Boulogne. His estate of Tollesbury was still held by by one of his descendants, Henry de Merk, in 1251. This name, variously given as Merkes, Markes, and Mark, was derived from Marc in Normandy. Geoffrey de Marco and his sons are mentioned by Ordericus Vitalis (591). It is still retained by many places in Essex. There is Le Marck, or Marks Hall, in the parish of Leyton, Mark’s Tay (held under the Mandevilles “from the earliest times”), the parish of Markes Hall, Merks in Dunmow (possessed since the days of the Conqueror), and others. The family was wealthy, numerous, and greatly sub-divided. Aitropus, or Eutropius, and Simon de Merc occur in the Rotuli Curiæ Regis of 1194-98: and the latter is also entered in the Monasticon as a benefactor of Thornton Abbey. He and his son Ingelram held Marks, in the parish of Great Dunmow, of the King in capite of his Honour of Bologne, and had certainly three, if not more, successors in the male line. " 2

Rogerus filius Markes was found in Hampshire according to the Curia Regis Rolls of 1207 as was Robertus Marcus in 1148 at Winton. Simon del Merc was in the Curia Regis Rolls for Essex in 1208. A few years later, Philip Marc was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Northumberland in 1209 and later, Robertus Markes was listed in Cheshire in 1288. 1

Early History of the Mark family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mark research. Another 254 words (18 lines of text) covering the years 1148, 1194, 1210, 1216, 1226, 1291, 1296, 1459, 1613 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Mark History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mark Spelling Variations

Cornish surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The official court languages, which were Latin and French, were also influential on the spelling of a surname. Since the spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. Lastly, spelling variations often resulted from the linguistic differences between the people of Cornwall and the rest of England. The Cornish spoke a unique Brythonic Celtic language which was first recorded in written documents during the 10th century. However, they became increasingly Anglicized, and Cornish became extinct as a spoken language in 1777, although it has been revived by Cornish patriots in the modern era. The name has been spelled Mark, Marks, Markes, Marke and others.

Early Notables of the Mark family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

James Mark of Liscard, Cornwall

Mark World Ranking

In the United States, the name Mark is the 2,538^th most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 3 However, in Quebec, Canada, the name Mark is ranked the 958^th most popular surname. 4 And in New Zealand, the name Mark is the 999^th popular surname with an estimated 757 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Mark family to Ireland

Some of the Mark family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 78 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mark migration to the United States +

Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Mark were

Mark Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Andrew Mark, who settled in Virginia in 1654 along with Elizabeth and Sarah
Margaret Mark, who landed in Maryland in 1658 6

Mark Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Mathew Mark, who arrived in Virginia in 1717 6
Johan Diterig Mark, who settled in Philadelphia in 1740
Michael Mark, who settled in Philadelphia in 1741
Michael Mark, aged 45, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1741 6
Conrad Mark, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1760 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Mark Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Samuel Mark, aged 34, who landed in Louisiana in 1813 6
Adrian Rudolph Mark, aged 40, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1823 6
Balthasar Mark, aged 23, who arrived in Texas in 1845 aboard the ship "Joh. Dethardt"
Joseph Mark, who arrived in New York in 1845 6
Andrew Mark, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1848 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Mark migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Mark Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mrs. Ellen Mark, aged 40 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Free Trader" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in September 1847 7

Mark migration to Australia +

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

Mark Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Henry Mark, aged 18, a copper miner, who arrived in South Australia in 1857 aboard the ship "Tantivy"

Mark 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:

Mark Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

S Mark, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1844
Henry Mark, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Annie Wilson" in 1863
Fanny Mark, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Annie Wilson" in 1863
Edith A. Mark, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Annie Wilson" in 1863
Miss Margaret Mark, (b. 1848), aged 20, British dairymaid travelling from London aboard the ship "Matoaka" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 8th February 1869 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Mark (post 1700) +

Hans Michael Mark (1929-2021), German-born, American government official, 13th Secretary of the Air Force (1979-1981) and as a Deputy Administrator of NASA
Donald J. Mark (1926-2018), American jurist, Judge on the New York Supreme Court from 1983 to 1997
Michael Mark (1886-1975), Russian-born American film actor who appeared in over 120 films
Michael Mark, American Drama Desk Award winning, Grammy Award nominated musician, composer, and actor
Herman Mark (1895-1992), Austrian-American chemist and winner of the 1979 Wolf Prize in Chemistry
Michael Mark, Grenadian football defender for the Grenada national football team
Thomas Mark Harmon (b. 1951), American football player and two-time Primetime Emmy and four-time Golden Globe nominated actor, probably best known for his role as Leroy Jethro Gibbs in television show NCIS
Peter Mark Roget (1779-1869), English physician, born in Broad Street, Soho, London; creator of the Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases (Roget's Thesaurus)
Peter Mark Brant Sr. (b. 1947), American industrialist and art collector
Caleb Mark Scofield (1978-2018), American musician, a bassist and singer, known for the alternative metal band Cave In

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"The first 1,000 family names by rank, Quebec (in French only)" Institut de la statistique du Quebec, https://statistique.quebec.ca/en/document/family-names-in-quebec/tableau/the-first-1000-family-names-by-rank-quebec
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
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)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 41)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html