Marshall History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms 

Origins Available: 
  England 
  Scotland 
  Ireland 


The name Marshall arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. It is a name for a blacksmith or a person who tended horses deriving its origin from the Old English word marshal, which meant blacksmith. In medieval England, blacksmiths were extremely important because they were employed by the nobility to look after the horses. 1

John Marshal (d. 1164?), the English warrior, was "son and heir of Gilbert Marshal, who was unsuccessfully impleaded with him in the court of Henry I by Robert de Venoiz and William de Hastings for the office of master of the king's marshalsea (Rot. Chart. p. 46), from which the family took its name. In the 'Pipe Roll' of 1130 he is found paying for succession to his father's lands and office (p. 18) and in possession of an estate in Wiltshire (p. 23). In 1138 he fortified Marlborough and Ludgershall (Ann. Wint.), probably as one of the rebels of that year, for Stephen was besieging him in Marlborough when the empress landed, in 1139 (Cont. Flor. Wig. p. 117). In 1140 he was approached by Robert FitzHubert, who had seized Devizes Castle, and who hoped to secure Marlborough; but John, overreaching him, made him his prisoner, and then sold him to the Earl of Gloucester." 2

William Marshal first Earl of Pembroke and Striguil of the Marshal line (d. 1219), "Regent of England, was second son of John Marshal (d. 1164?) [q. v.], by his second wife, Sibyl, sister of Patrick, earl of Salisbury. He is represented as describing himself as over eighty years of age in 1216, but his father and mother were not married till 1141, and 1146 is a more likely date for his birth. When Stephen besieged John Marshal at Newbury in 1152, the young William was given as hostage for a truce and the surrender of the castle. John Marshal refused to keep the terms, and his son's life would have been sacrificed had not Stephen, attracted by the child's bold spirit and pretty ways, protected him." 2

Early Origins of the Marshall family

The surname Marshall was first found in various counties in England including Cambridgeshire, Somerset and Oxfordshire where William le Marechal, Gunnilda le Marescall and Robert Marescallus were all recorded respectively in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. Later, the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 lists Willelmus de Scheplay, marciall, and Johannes Mareschall. 3

"Distributed over England, its great home being in Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire, whilst there are less important homes in Northumberland in the north and in Somerset in the south. The name is of foreign origin. It was originally "Marechal," or "Mare - schalks," the old name for a horse - groom or farrier, in which sense it is still used in France. The post became dignified. The name has extended from the north of England into central and southern Scotland." 4

Early History of the Marshall family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Marshall research. Another 103 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1084, 1170, 1235, 1535, 1540, 1554, 1578, 1594, 1621, 1626, 1628, 1629, 1631, 1632, 1637, 1644, 1654, 1655, 1662, 1664, 1670, 1672, 1675, 1678, 1680, 1685, 1698 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Marshall History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Marshall Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Marshall, Marshal, Marescal, Marshale and others.

Early Notables of the Marshall family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Marshall World Ranking

In the United States, the name Marshall is the 119th most popular surname with an estimated 186,525 people with that name. 5 However, in Canada, the name Marshall is ranked the 118th most popular surname with an estimated 25,682 people with that name. 6 And in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Marshall is the 213rd popular surname with an estimated 201 people with that name. 7 Australia ranks Marshall as 71st with 32,900 people. 8 New Zealand ranks Marshall as 53rd with 5,263 people. 9 The United Kingdom ranks Marshall as 62nd with 71,607 people. 10

Migration of the Marshall family to Ireland

Some of the Marshall family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 102 words (7 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Marshall migration to the United States +

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Marshall or a variant listed above:

Marshall Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
Marshall Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
Marshall Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
Marshall Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Marshall migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Marshall Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century
Marshall Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
Marshall Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Marshall migration to Australia +

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

Marshall Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Marshall migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Marshall Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Marshall migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 19
Marshall Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Marshall (post 1700) +


Suggested Readings for the name Marshall +
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