Martin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms 

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Martin is an ancient Norman name that arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The name Martin comes from the Latin name Martinus, which is a derivative of Mars, who was the Roman god of fertility and war. The popularity of the name Martin is due to Saint Martin de Tours, who was one of the best known saints in the Western World. With the spread of Christianity, people named their children after saints in the hope that the children might enjoy that saint's patronage. Martin is also one of the few saints' names, other than the names of Old English saints, found in England before the Norman Conquest. 1

Early Origins of the Martin family

The surname Martin was first found in Pembrokeshire. "Martin, Sire of Tour, four miles from Bayeux, came over with William of Normandy in 1066; and conquered the territory of Kemeys in Pembrokeshire. It was erected into a Paltime Barony, which he governed as Lord Marcher, having his castle at Newport, where its ruins still exist. " 2

"The famous Martin de Tours, who came over from Normandy with the Conqueror was distinguished at the battle of Hastings. Subsequently he acquired by conquest, as one of the Lords Marcher, a large district in Pembrokeshire, called Cemaes or Kemes, and became Palatine Baron thereof, exercising within his territory, subject to feudal homage to the King, all the jura regalia which, at that period, appertained to the crown of the English monarch, He made Newport the head of his Palatinate, and there erected his castle, the ruins of which still exist." 3

Later, some of the family were found in early times at Westmeston in Sussex. "The church is principally in the early English style, with a plain Norman arch between the nave and chancel; it contains a rudely-constructed circular stone font, and at the east end of the south aisle is an ancient chapel, the burial-place of the Marten family." 4

And another branch of the family was found at Anstey-Pastures in Leicestershire in early times. "This place, which was formerly parcel of the 'Ffrith of Leicestre,' and of the ancient duchy of Lancaster, was granted in the 27th of Elizabeth to Thomas Martyn and others, on a lease of 31 years, and after the expiration of that term was purchased, in the 4th of James I., from Robert, Earl of Salisbury, lord treasurer of England, by Robert Martyn, of Anstey, whose descendants have a seat here." 4

Down in the parish of Tamerton, Cornwall, "the manor and barton of Wilsworthy, in this parish, have been in the family of Martyn for many generations. This property now belongs to the Rev. Thomas Waddon Martyn, rector of Luffingcot in Devonshire." 5

In nearby Devon, Raddon was once held by the Martyns and Audleys in the reign of Henry VIII. 6 "Holsworthy, [Devon has a] market which is one of great antiquity ; and the chief fair was recorded in the time of Edward I. as having belonged to the ancestors of William Martyn from time immemorial." 6

Early History of the Martin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Martin research. Another 195 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1295, 1446, 1484, 1492, 1503, 1582, 1594, 1602, 1617, 1620, 1621, 1640, 1643, 1646, 1648, 1653, 1660, 1662, 1678, 1680, 1692 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Martin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Martin Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Martin, Matin, Mattin, Martyn and others.

Early Notables of the Martin family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Martin World Ranking

In the United States, the name Martin is the 16th most popular surname with an estimated 678,951 people with that name. 7 However, in Canada, the name Martin is ranked the 4th most popular surname with an estimated 91,680 people with that name. 8 And in Quebec, Canada, the name Martin is the 34th popular surname. 9 Newfoundland, Canada ranks Martin as 16th with 871 people. 10 France ranks Martin as 1st with 235,846 people. 11 Australia ranks Martin as 12nd with 60,595 people. 12 New Zealand ranks Martin as 25th with 5,838 people. 13 The United Kingdom ranks Martin as 20th with 117,812 people. 14 South America ranks Martin as 26th with 124 people. 15 South Africa ranks Martin as 267th with 25,719 people. 16

Migration of the Martin family to Ireland

Some of the Martin family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 81 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Martin migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Martin or a variant listed above were:

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

Martin migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Martin Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century
Martin Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
Martin Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
Martin Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Martin migration to Australia +

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

Martin Settlers in Australia in the 18th Century
Martin Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
Martin Settlers in Australia in the 20th Century

Martin 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:

Martin Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Martin 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. 28
Martin Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Martin (post 1700) +


Suggested Readings for the name Martin +
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