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

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Marquis History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France

The name Marquis comes from the ancient culture of France. It was a Norman name for a nobleman who ranked just below the level of an Earl and is derived from the Old French word "Marquis," which signified this lofty position.

Early Origins of the Marquis family

The surname Marquis was first found in Normandy (French: Normandie), in Pas-de-Calais in the arrondissement of Boulogne-sur-Mer, where they held a family seat since the very early times. They branched south in the 13th century when they held a family seat at Motte. By the 14th century they had moved to the Franche-Comté at Tallenay and were raised to the Seigniory. This family later branched to Brittany, Forez, Neufchatel and Morges. In Brittany and île-de-Saint-Dominique the spelling was Marques. Many of the settlers of that name who went to New France came from Normandy and Brittany (French: Bretagne).

Early History of the Marquis family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Marquis research. More information is included under the topic Early Marquis History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Marquis Spelling Variations

Most surnames have experienced slight spelling changes. A son may not chose to spell his name the same way that his father did. Many were errors, many deliberate. During the early development of the French language, a person usually gave his version, phonetically, to a scribe, a priest, or a recorder. Prefixes or suffixes varied. They were optional as they passed through the centuries, or were adopted by different branches to signify either a political or religious adherence. Hence, there a many spelling variations of the name Marquis, including Marquis, Marques, Marquise, Marquy, Marqui, Marcquis, Marquess, Marquese and many more.

Early Notables of the Marquis family

Notable amongst the family in this period was

the Marquis de St...

Marquis World Ranking

In the United States, the name Marquis is the 3,363^rd most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 1 However, in Canada, the name Marquis is ranked the 751^st most popular surname with an estimated 7,106 people with that name. 2 And in Quebec, Canada, the name Marquis is the 312^nd popular surname. 3 France ranks Marquis as 929^th with 5,586 people. 4

Marquis 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 Marquis 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 Marquis were

Marquis Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mrs. Marquis, who settled in New Orleans in 1822
Alexander Marquis, who arrived in New York in 1838 5
J Marquis, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 5
Pedro Marquis, aged 22, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1853 5
George R Marquis, who landed in Alabama in 1858 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Marquis Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Duncan Marquis, aged 49, who settled in America from London, England, in 1904
Edna Marquis, aged 23, who landed in America from St. Croix, in 1905
Benjamin Marquis, aged 45, who landed in America from Liverpool, in 1906
August Marquis, aged 40, who immigrated to the United States, in 1908
Cecilia du St.Esprit Marquis, aged 30, who landed in America from Briane, France, in 1908
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Marquis migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Marquis Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Mr. Pierre Marquis, (b. 1612), aged 30, French settler travelling to Canada for work arriving on 31st March 1642 6

Marquis Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Charles-François Marquis, son of Charles and Agnès, who married Marie-Anne Boucher, daughter of Pierre and Marie-Anne, in Quebec on 20th January 1724 7
Joseph-Marie Marquis, son of Charles-François and Marie-Anne, who married Françoise Coté, daughter of Prisque and Ursule, in Trois-Rivières, Quebec on 27th October 1752 7
Jean-Baptiste Marquis, son of Charles-François and Marie-Anne, who married Marie-Claire Talon, daughter of Augustin and Claire, in Kamouraska, Quebec on 11th January 1768 7
Joseph-Marie Marquis, son of Joseph and Françoise, who married Marguerite Lisotte, daughter of Joseph and Thérèse, in Saint-Roch, Quebec on 8th April 1777 7
Jacques Marquis, son of Joseph and Geneviève, who married Louise Rocheleau, daughter of Louis and Élisabeth, in Berthier, Quebec on 7th January 1783 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Marquis Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Alexander W. Marquis, aged 45, who immigrated to St. Catherines, Canada, in 1914

Contemporary Notables of the name Marquis (post 1700) +

Richard Marquis (b. 1945), American glass artist
Jason Marquis (b. 1978), American Major League Baseball pitcher
Don Marquis (b. 1935), American philosopher and bioethicist
James Milburn Marquis (1900-1992), American Major League Baseball pitcher
Donald Robert Perry Marquis (1878-1937), American novelist
Joseph A. Marquis, American politician, U.S. Vice Consul in Antwerp, 1921-22; Paris, 1924 8
Hazel Marquis, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Missouri, 1956 8
George Marquis, American Republican politician, Candidate for New Hampshire State House of Representatives from Berlin 4th Ward, 1938 8
George Marquis (b. 1820), American politician, Member of Florida State House of Representatives, 1881-83; County Judge in Florida, 1885-89 8
Emile E. Marquis, American Democratic Party politician, Member of New Hampshire State House of Representatives from Nashua 5th Ward; Elected 1938 8
... (Another 9 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
"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
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)
Debien, Gabriel. Liste Des Engagés Pour Le Canada Au XVIIe Siècle. Vol. 6, Laval University, 1952. (Retreived 24th May 2018). Retrieved from https://lebloguedeguyperron.wordpress.com/2016/06/30/130-liste-des-contrats-dengagement-pour-la-nouvelle-france-releves-a-la-rochelle-entre-1634-et-1679/
Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 2, Institut Drouin, 1958.
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 26) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html