Show ContentsMarlo History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The surname Marlo is a habitational place-name, which is a type of hereditary surname, and is derived from the name of the place in which the first bearer lived. Marlo is derived from is Morlaix, in Brittany, a peninsula in the northwest of France. Formerly known as Armorica, a possession of the Roman Empire, this land consists of a plateau with a deeply indented coast and is broken by hills in the west.

Early Origins of the Marlo family

The surname Marlo was first found in Buckinghamshire at Marlow, a town and civil parish within Wycombe district. The earliest record of the place was listed as Merelafan in 1015, but was listed a few years later as Merlaue in the Domesday Book 1. Literally, the name means 'land remaining after the draining of a pool' having been derived from the Old English words mere + laf 2 However, another reference claims the ancient name of this place was Merlaw, supposed to be derived from the Saxon word Mere, meaning a marsh, and Law or Low, meaning a hill. Marlow, historically called Great Marlow, first sent representatives to parliament in the 28th of Edward I., and continued so to do till the 2nd of Edward II. Little Marlow is a parish in the borough of Marlow about 1 1/2 miles from Marlow and as the name would imply has historically been much smaller.

Early History of the Marlo family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Marlo research. Another 128 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1132, 1409, 1564, 1733 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Marlo History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Marlo Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Marlowe, Marloe, Marleau, Marlow and others.

Early Notables of the Marlo family

Notable of this family during the Middle Ages was

  • Christopher Marlowe (1564-93) dramatist generally considered as the greatest figure in Elizabethan drama before Shakespeare...

Ireland Migration of the Marlo family to Ireland

Some of the Marlo 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.

Migration of the Marlo family

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Nicholas and Jane Marleaw and their three children, who arrived in Virginia in 1630; Rebecca Marlowe, who came to New England in 1635; William Marlow, who settled in Maryland in 1656.


Contemporary Notables of the name Marlo (post 1700) +

  • Micki Marlo (1928-2016), American popular singer and model


  1. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  2. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)


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