Show ContentsMarie History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Marie comes from the ancient Medieval culture of France, that specifically of a northwestern region known as Breton. It was a name for a devotee of the Virgin Mary. Tracing the origin of the name further, we found the name Marie was derived from the Hebrew name Miryam, which means wished for child.

Early Origins of the Marie family

The surname Marie was first found in Brittany (French: Bretagne), where this family held a family seat since ancient times.

The branch Marionel in Lorraine was ennobled in 1598. Thomas Marie, of the branch established in Burgundy, was ennobled in 1661, in return for his services in the position of lieutenant-general in the bailiwick, and of mayor of Auxerre, a position which he had held over a duration of ten years. The branch Marion de la Bretonnière was ennobled in 1704. Of the branch Marion de Procé came two aldermen of Nantes, in 1669 and in 1780, and also two magistrates. Charles-Stanislas Marion was a general, who entered into the nobility in 1810, and François-Louis Marion was a chief commander in Napoleon's empire, who received his title to nobility in 1814. The members of the branch established in Lorraine became barons in 1816. From the branch Marion de Beaulieu stemmed a brigadier and a Baron in 1820.

Also in 1820, the members of the branch Marion des Noyers, in Brittany, became barons. In Guyenne, some members of the family settled in a town in the department of Gironde, in the district of Bazas.

Nicolas Marion, Lord of Fontaine and merchant of Quebec, married Marie Gueric in France in 1665. They travelled together to the New World, along with their son, Guillaume, who was born in 1667. Guillaume married Marie-Madeleine Demers in Quebec in 1698. 1

Early History of the Marie family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Marie research. Another 53 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1400, 1483, 1620, 1684, 1795, 1821, 1870 and 1881 are included under the topic Early Marie History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Marie Spelling Variations

Throughout the course of history most surnames have undergone changes for many reasons. During the early development of the French language, a son and father may not have chosen to spell their name the same way. Many are simple spelling changes by a person who gave his name, phonetically, to a scribe, priest, or recorder. Many names held prefixes or suffixes which became optional as they passed through the centuries, or were adopted by different branches to signify either a political or religious adherence. Hence, we have many spelling variations of this name, Marie some of which are Marion, Marionnaud, Marionneau, Mariot, Mariotte, Mariolle, Marie, Mariel, Marielle, Marionel, Marionelle, Mariet, Mariette, Mariéton and many more.

Early Notables of the Marie family

Notable amongst this name at this time was

  • Pierre Thomas Marie de Saint-Georges, called Marie (1795-1870), a French politician
  • Auguste Mariette (1821-1881), a French Egyptologist

Marie Ranking

In the United States, the name Marie is the 12,007th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2 However, in France, the name Marie is ranked the 73rd most popular surname with an estimated 34,233 people with that name. 3


United States Marie migration to the United States +

French settlers came early to North American, following in the wake of the explorers, and creating New France. Quebec City, founded in 1608 by Samuel de Champlain is said to have been the first American site founded as a permanent settlement, rather than as just a commercial outpost. But emigration was slow, in 1643, 109 years after the first landings by Cartier, there were only about 300 French people in Quebec, and by 1663, when the region was officially made The Royal Colony of New France, by Louis XIV, there still only around 500 settlers. Over 2,000 would arrive during the next decade. Early marriage was desperately encouraged amongst the immigrants. Youths of 18 took fourteen-year-old girls for their wives. The fur trade was developed and attracted immigrants, both noble and commoner from France. By 1675, there were around 7000 French in the colony, and by that same year the Acadian presence in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island had reached 500. In 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported to Louisiana. Despite the loss of the Colony to England, the French people flourished in Lower Canada. Among settlers to North America of the Marie surname were

Marie Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Edw Marie, who arrived in Virginia in 1662 4
  • William Marie, who arrived in Virginia in 1662 4
Marie Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Joseph Marie, who was a fisherman in New Orleans in 1727
  • Thérèse Marie, who lived in New Orleans in 1727
  • Seb Marie, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1729 4
  • James Marie, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1730 4
  • Casper Marie, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1732 4
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Marie Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Johannes Marie, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1806 4
  • Martin Marie, who landed in New York, NY in 1833 4
  • Donnin Marie, who arrived in New York in 1833 4
  • Henry Marie, who landed in Somerset County, Pennsylvania in 1837 4
  • Donin Louis Marie, who landed in New York in 1843 4
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Marie migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Marie Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century
  • Francois Marie, aged 28, who landed in Canada in 1643
  • Sieur De Marie, who arrived in Montreal in 1657
  • Louis Marie, son of Louis and Marguerite, who married Mathurine Goard, daughter of Gilles and Catherine, in Montreal, Quebec on 31st May 1667 5
  • Michel Marie, son of Louis and Mathurine, who married Marguerite Brossault, daughter of Denis and Marie-Madeleine-Louise, in La Prairie, Quebec on 11th April 1695 5
Marie Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • François Marie, son of Louis and Mathurine, who married Marguerite Bourbon, daughter of Jean and Marie-Anne, in Longueuil, Quebec on 26th January 1705 5
  • François Marie, son of Louis and Mathurine, who married Madeleine Supernon, daughter of Marin and Barbe, in Longueuil, Quebec on 27th June 1723 5
  • Michel Marie, son of Michel and Marguerite, who married Marguerite Boyer, daughter of Jean and Marie-Anne, in La Prairie, Quebec on 1st February 1734 5
  • François Marie, son of François and Marguerite, who married Marie-Josephte Marsil, daughter of André and Jeanne, in Longueuil, Quebec on 3rd February 1739 5
  • Jean Marie, son of Jacques and Madeleine, who married Jeanne Le Grand, daughter of Louis and Madeleine, in Quebec on 30th October 1747 5
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Australia Marie migration to Australia +

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

Marie Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Felix Marie, (b. 1814), aged 27, British servant who was convicted in Port Louis for 10 years for theft, transported aboard the "Daphne" in 1841, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Marie (post 1700) +

  • Rose Marie (1923-2017), born Rose Marie Mazzetta, an American actress, singer, comedienne, and veteran of vaudeville, best known for her role as Sally Rogers on The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961–1966)
  • N. R. St. Marie, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from North Dakota, 1944 7
  • Claude Marie de Saint-Quentin, French Brigadier General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 8
  • Jean-Baptiste Simon Etienne Marie, vicomte de Fréhaut, French Brigadier General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 9
  • Raoul Bernard Lucien Marie (1918-2015), French international rugby referee and former Deputy in the French National Assembly (1967-1981)
  • Pierre Marie (1853-1940), French doctor and a professor in the neurological clinic of Salpêtrière (1918)
  • André Ste Marie, Canadian businessman, Secretary Treasurer of Bemacon Inc., Montreal
  • Saeed Marie (1954-2022), Egyptian judge who served on the Supreme Constitutional Court of Egypt, Chancellor (2019-2022)
  • Kayse Marie Shrum (b. 1972), née Donnelly, an American physician and 19th President of Oklahoma State University (2021-)
  • Donna Marie Amato, American pianist born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania


The Marie Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Nos murs, nos lois
Motto Translation: Our walls, our laws


  1. Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  4. 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)
  5. Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 2, Institut Drouin, 1958.
  6. Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved May 31st 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/daphne
  7. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 21) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  8. Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, October 8) Claude Marie. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html
  9. Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, April 14) Jean-Baptiste Marie. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html


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