Maris History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The Norman Maris surname comes from the Old French word "marais" meaning "a marsh." It may have arisen as a surname from the place name (Le) Marais in Calvados, Normandy.
Early Origins of the Maris family
The surname Maris was first found in Kent where the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Maris, Richard of Maris held estates and who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086.
They trace their lineage to Normandy where the Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae lists Ivo, Drogo, Gilbert, Robert de Maris, in the Lordship of Maris, Normandy, 1180-95. 1
There the name could have also been derived from the French, Mariess, Maris, personal names. 2 Yet another source claims the name is from the French word marais, which translated into English as a marsh. 3
The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 had three early entries for the family: John de Mareys, Cambridgeshire; William du Mareys, Suffolk; and William du Mareys, Suffolk. 4
Geoffrey de Marisco, Mariscius, Mareys, or Mares (d. 1245), was Justiciar or Viceroy of Ireland, and "is said to have been the nephew and heir of Hervey de Mount-Maurice, and nephew of Herlewin, Bishop of Leighlin (d. 1217?) He is also said to have been the brother of Richard de Marisco, Bishop of Durham and Chancellor." 5
His ancestor is believed to be Hervey Mount-Maurice (fl. 1169), "Invader of Ireland, whose name appears variously as Monte Mauricii, Monte Marisco, Monte Marecy, Montmarreis, Montmorenci, Mumoreci, and Momorci, may not unreasonably be held to have belonged to the same line as the Montmorencies of France which in turn is derived from Montmorency-Morres. Hervey is said by M. de Montmorency-Morres to have been the son of a Robert FitzGeoffrey, lord of lands in Thorney and of Huntspill-Marreis, Somerset." 5
Farther to the south in the parish of Week St. Mary, Cornwall, "the manor of East Orchard Marrais in this parish, and that of Markham church, belonged to an ancient family of this name, whose heiress married au ancestor of the Rolles. The old mansion which was formerly the seat of the Marrais family is now occupied by a farmer. For the Marrais family there is an ancient memorial in the church." 6
Early History of the Maris family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Maris research. Another 128 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1191, 1199, 1621, 1745, 1786 and 1806 are included under the topic Early Maris History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Maris Spelling Variations
Spelling variations of this family name include: Marris, Marriss, Maris, Mariss, Mares, Marais and many more.
Early Notables of the Maris family
Outstanding amongst the family at this time was
Maris Ranking
In the United States, the name Maris is the 9,531st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 7 However, in France, the name Maris is ranked the 6,178th most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 8
Maris migration to the United States +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Maris Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- Mary Maris, who settled in Virginia in 1650
- Wm. Maris, who settled in Virginia in 1661
- William Maris, who landed in Virginia in 1661 9
- George Maris, his wife Alice and their five children, who settled in Pennsylvania in 1683
- George Maris, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1683 9
Maris Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Jesse Maris, who settled in Boston in 1765
- Edward Maris, who was on record in Pensacola, FL in 1768
Maris Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- John Maris, who arrived in America in 1811 9
- Cornelis Maris, who arrived in Iowa in 1867 9
Contemporary Notables of the name Maris (post 1700) +
- Major-General Ward Hale Maris (1892-1978), American Commanding Officer Artillery 95th Division (1942-1944) 10
- Roger Maris (1934-1985), American Major League Baseball player
- Albert Branson Maris (1893-1989), American federal judge
- Louis Maris Levesque, Count de Laferrière, French Divisional General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 11
- Maris Putnins (1951-2024), Latvian artist, screenwriter and producer
- Maris Wrixon (1916-1999), American film and television actress who appeared in over 50 films
- Maris Soule (b. 1939), American author of romance and romantic suspense novels and short stories
Historic Events for the Maris family +
USS Arizona
- Mr. Elwood Henry Maris, American Seaman First Class from Texas, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 12
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)
- Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. 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)
- Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
- Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- 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)
- Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2013, February 12) Ward Maris. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Maris/Ward_Hale/USA.html
- Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, April 9) Louis Levesque. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html
- Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html