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Marrs History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Marrs History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
England

The saga of the Marrs family begins among the people of the ancient tribe of the Picts. They lived in a place called Mar, which was in the county of Aberdeen. It may come from the Old Norse word marr, which was an extremely rare word, that was usually associated with the sea, but sometimes referred to a marsh or a fen. In this sense, Marrs would be a habitational name. 1 2

Early Origins of the Marrs family

The surname Marrs was first found in the West Riding of Yorkshire at Marr, a parish, in the union of Doncaster, N. division of the wapentake of Strafforth and Tickhill. 3

It was here in England that James de Mar was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of 1182. Ralph atte Mar was also listed in Yorkshire in the Subsidy Rolls of 1297 as was William del Marre in the Subsidy Rolls for 1302. 2 The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included Johannes de Merre; and Henricus de Marre. 4

However the lion's share of the family claim Scotland as their ancient homeland. Here Mar is a parish in Aberdeenshire where "the name is of local or territorial origin from the district in Aberdeenshire so named." 5

This same source postulates that the name was "probably also from Marr in Yorkshire. In the Yorkshire dialect mar is used of 'marshy land, sodden or reedy ground.' " 5

"In 1235 William de Mer, perhaps the earliest of the name in record [in Scotland], witnessed a grant by Radulf Manus to the Abbey of Kelso. Gilberd or Gilbert de Mar of Fifeshire, John of Mar, bailiff of Linlithgow, and James de Mer of Aberdeenshire, all rendered homage in 1296 [to King Edward I of England]. Richard Mar was present at inquest made at St. Andrews, 1302-1303. John de Marr, c. 1316, witnessed a charter of the lands of Linton-Rothirrik, and David de Marre was king's messenger in 1327. A canonry of Glasgow was granted to John de Mair, chaplain to Joan, queen of Scotland, 1346. Roger dictus Mer held land of the Abbey of Arbroath in 1329, Donald de Marre is mentioned in 1353 as late archdeacon of Brechin, Master David of Mer was treasurer of Moray, 1358, and Alexander de Marr was custumar of Dundee in 1359. " 5

To better understand the York, England and Scotland relationship in the family, we found "William Mar, ninth Earl of Mar (d. 1281?), the son of Duncan, eighth earl of Mar, and grandson of Morgrund, fifth earl. He succeeded his father in or before 1237, when he attested at York the agreement between Henry III of England and Alexander II of Scotland. His right of succession was contested by Alan Durward, who asserted that William's father and grandfather were both of illegitimate birth, and that he ought to succeed as lawful heir. But apparently the case was arranged on the footing of an agreement which had been made about 1228 with Thomas Durward, father of Alan, who received a large accession of territory in Mar ; and the earldom remained with William de Mar. In 1249, during the minority of Alexander III, he was appointed one of the regents of Scotland." 6

William's son, Donald Mar, tenth Earl of Mar (d. 1297), was knighted by Alexander III at Scone in 1270, and succeeded as earl before 25 July 1281, when he took oath at Roxburgh to observe the treaty for the marriage of Princess Margaret of Scotland and Eric, king of Norway. 6

Early History of the Marrs family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Marrs research. Another 230 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1120, 1130, 1366, 1391, 1403, 1408, 1439, 1475, 1501, 1734 and 1748 are included under the topic Early Marrs History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Marrs Spelling Variations

Although Medieval Scotland lacked a basic set of spelling rules, which meant that scribes recorded names according to their sounds it was not uncommon for the names of a father and son to be recorded differently. As a result, there are many spelling variations of Scottish single names. Marrs has been written Marr, Mar, Marre, Mare and others.

Early Notables of the Marrs family

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

Marrs Ranking

In the United States, the name Marrs is the 5,302^nd most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 7

Marrs migration to the United States +

Thousands of Scots left their home country to travel to Ireland or Australia, or to cross the Atlantic for the North American colonies. The difficult crossing was an enormous hurdle, but those who survived found freedom and opportunity in ample measure. Some Scots even fought for their freedom in the American War of Independence. This century, their ancestors have become aware of the illustrious history of the Scots in North America and at home through Clan societies and other organizations. Passenger and immigration lists show many early and influential immigrants bearing the name Marrs:

Marrs Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Walter Herbet Marrs, aged 26, who arrived in America from Catford, England, in 1904
Lizzie Marrs, aged 26, who arrived in America from Bonnybridge, Scotland, in 1911
Nettie Marrs, aged 1, who arrived in America from Bonnybridge, Scotland, in 1911
Giuseppe Marrs, aged 40, who arrived in America from Cardinale, Catanzaro, Italy, in 1911
James Marrs, aged 29, who arrived in America from London, England, in 1912
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Marrs migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Marrs Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Eileen Lorraine Marrs, aged 0, who arrived in Winnipeg, Canada, in 1915
Henrietta Jane Marrs, aged 32, who arrived in Winnipeg, Canada, in 1915
Norman Arundll Marrs, aged 3, who arrived in Winnipeg, Canada, in 1915
Stanley Herbert Marrs, aged 4, who arrived in Winnipeg, Canada, in 1915

Marrs migration to Australia +

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

Marrs Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

William Marrs, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "Asia" on April 1st, 1822, settling in New South Wales, Australia 8
James Marrs, English convict from Cheshire, who was transported aboard the "Anna Maria" on March 6, 1848, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 9

Contemporary Notables of the name Marrs (post 1700) +

Jim Marrs (1943-2017), American newspaper journalist, New York Times best-selling writer of books and articles
Jarrod Thomas Marrs (b. 1975), American retired breaststroke swimmer and Gold Medalist in the 2000 World Championships
Audrey Marrs (b. 1970), award-winning American film producer
Lee Marrs (b. 1945), American comic book writer and animator
Urbin Marrs (1802-1875), American politician, Circuit Judge in Indiana, 1845-51; Member of Indiana State House of Representatives, 1851-52 10
H. H. Marrs, American politician, Farmer-Labor Candidate for U.S. Representative from Colorado 1st District, 1927; Farmer-Labor Candidate for U.S. Senator from Colorado, 1930 10
Donnie D. Marrs, American politician, Mayor of Salina, Kansas, 2006-07 10
Dean Marrs, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Arizona, 1956 10
Marrs McLean, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Texas, 1940, 1944, 1948 10

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Asia 1 voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1822 with 190 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1822
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Anna Maria voyage to Van Diemen's Land or Port Phillip, Australia in 1848 with 190 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/anna-maria/1848
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 26) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html