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

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Martens History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France
Germany

The French duchy of Gascogne was the home of the family who first used the name Martens. The surname was derived from the patron saint, Saint Martinus, a Bishop of Tours and Evangelist of la Gaule who was very popular in the Middle Ages.

Early Origins of the Martens family

The surname Martens was first found in Gascony (French: Gascogne), an area of southwest France bordering Spain, that was part of the "Province of Guyenne and Gascony" prior to the French Revolution, where the family has held a family seat from ancient times.

Another source claims the name is from St. martin in Normandy. "This family descends from Walter, Lord of St. Martin, who about 980 married a niece of Duchess Gunnora. William his son was father of Roger, Lord of Mortemer, and of Ralph, Sire de Garenne, and of the Sire de St. Martin, from whom came the family of St. Martin in Normandy and England." 1

Abraham Martin was born in France in 1589 and died in Quebec on 8th September 1664. He arrived in New France, along with his wife and daughter, on the boat "Le Sallemande" on 30th August 1620. Abraham received a plot of land that eventually became the location of the Battle of the Plains of Abraham, fought between James Wolfe and Louis-Joseph de Montcalm. This land is still known as "Les Plaines d'Abraham", or in English, "The Plains of Abraham". 2

Early History of the Martens family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Martens research. Another 486 words (35 lines of text) covering the years 1345, 1370, 1445, 1500, 1550, 1560, 1605, 1634, 1639, 1648, 1673, 1676, 1681, 1689, 1693, 1699, 1706, 1710, 1711, 1717, 1721, 1742, 1743, 1755, 1789, 1800, 1803, 1810, 1818 and 1820 are included under the topic Early Martens History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Martens 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 Martens, including Martin, Martine, Lamartine, Martinat, Martinaud, Martinault, Martinot, Martineau, Martinet, Martiné, Martinon, Martinesque, Martet, Marthet, Marté, Martaud, Martault, Martot, Marti, Marty, Martinenche, Martiena, Martirena, Martens, Mertens, Saint-Martin and many more.

Early Notables of the Martens family

Notable amongst the family at this time was François Martin (1634-1706), the first Governor General of Pondicherry, Commissioner of French India (1681-1693), Governor-General of French India (1699-1706); Charles-Amador Martin, (1648-1711), Canadian clergyman, the second Canadian to be ordained a priest; Jean-Baptiste Martin, an officer and...
Another 44 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Martens Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Martens World Ranking

In the United States, the name Martens is the 3,643^rd most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 3 However, in Canada, the name Martens is ranked the 632^nd most popular surname with an estimated 8,211 people with that name. 4 And in Netherlands, the name Martens is the 61^st popular surname with an estimated 13,634 people with that name. 5

Martens migration to the United States +

France was active as a cultural leader in the early 16th century. One particular area in which they lead was the exploration of the New World. The explorers, like Jacques Cartier in 1534, led the way to North America. Champlain, in 1608, made the first of twenty voyages to France to attract settlers and brought the first migrant in 1617. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec, and 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 Martens 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 Martens were

Martens Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Jan Martens, who landed in New Netherland(s) in 1658 6
Tryntje Martens, who landed in New Netherland(s) in 1658 6
Weyntje Martens, who arrived in New York, NY in 1659 6
Dirk Martens, aged 20, who arrived in New Netherland(s) in 1660 6

Martens Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Hannes Martens, aged 20, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1742 6

Martens Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Wilhelm Martens, aged 21, who landed in Texas in 1845 aboard the ship "Apollo" 6
Mr. Fried Martens, German who arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1846 aboard the ship "Gerhard Hermann"
Mrs. Wilhme Martens, (nee Moeller), German who arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1846 aboard the ship "Gerhard Hermann"
Mr. Johanne Martens, German who arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1846 aboard the ship "Gerhard Hermann"
Miss Minna Martens, German who arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1846 aboard the ship "Gerhard Hermann", he died in 1846
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Martens migration to Australia +

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

Martens Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

F.G.G. Martens, who arrived in South Australia in 1849 aboard the ship "Steinwaerder" 7
Matilda Martens, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Brightman" in 1850 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Martens (post 1700) +

Leo Martens, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Wisconsin State Assembly from Marinette County, 1958 9
Jacob Martens, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 1924 9
Henry Martens, American Republican politician, Mayor of Springfield, Massachusetts, 1934-37 9
Harry H. Martens, American politician, Member of South Dakota State House of Representatives, 1945-50, 1953-56 9
Glenn W. Martens, American Republican politician, Member of South Dakota State Senate 23rd District, 1923-24; South Dakota Republican State Chair, 1945 9
George W. Martens, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Minnesota, 1952, 1956 9
George F. Martens Jr. (1867-1926), American Democratic Party politician, Member of New Jersey State House of Assembly from Hunterdon County, 1897-99; Member of New Jersey State Senate from Hunterdon County, 1904-06, 1913-21 9
Clarence G. Martens, American Republican politician, Candidate in primary for Mayor of Mt. Vernon, New York, 1927 9
Charles H. Martens (1883-1955), American Republican politician, Mayor of East Orange, New Jersey, 1918-52 9
Charles H. Martens, American politician, Village President of Franklin Park, Illinois, 1892-94 9
... (Another 17 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print
"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
"Most Common Last Names in Netherlands." Forebears, https://forebears.io/netherlands/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)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) STEINWARDER 1849 aka STEINWAERDER. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Steinwarder.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) BRIGHTMAN 1850. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1850Brightman.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 4) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html