Marais History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France

The Norman Marais 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 Marais family

The surname Marais 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 Marais family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Marais research. Another 128 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1191, 1199, 1621, 1745, 1786 and 1806 are included under the topic Early Marais History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Marais Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Marris, Marriss, Maris, Mariss, Mares, Marais and many more.

Early Notables of the Marais family

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

Marais Ranking

In France, the name Marais is the 668^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,114 people with that name. 7 However, in South Africa, the name Marais is ranked the 120^th most popular surname with an estimated 46,936 people with that name. 8

Marais migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Marais Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Francois Marais, aged 48, who landed in Louisiana in 1719 9

Contemporary Notables of the name Marais (post 1700) +

Philip H. Des Marais, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Louisiana, 1956 10
Eugène Marais (1871-1936), South African lawyer, naturalist, poet and writer
Jean Marais (1913-1998), French actor
Marin Marais (1656-1728), French composer and viola player
Roland Marais (1685-1750), French Baroque composer
Peter Marais (b. 1948), South African politician
Lejeanne Marais (b. 1989), South African figure skater
Josef Marais (1905-1978), South African singer
Marais Erasmus (b. 1964), South African cricket umpire and member of the ICC Elite Umpire Panel

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
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
"Most Common Last Names in South Africa." Forebears, https://forebears.io/south-africa/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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2017, April 12) Philip Marais. Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html