Show ContentsMarian History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Marian comes from the ancient Medieval culture of France, that specifically of a northwestern region known as Breton. It was a name for a devotee of the Virgin Mary. Tracing the origin of the name further, we found the name Marian was derived from the Hebrew name Miryam, which means wished for child.

Early Origins of the Marian family

The surname Marian was first found in Brittany (French: Bretagne), where this family held a family seat since ancient times.

The branch Marionel in Lorraine was ennobled in 1598. Thomas Marie, of the branch established in Burgundy, was ennobled in 1661, in return for his services in the position of lieutenant-general in the bailiwick, and of mayor of Auxerre, a position which he had held over a duration of ten years. The branch Marion de la Bretonnière was ennobled in 1704. Of the branch Marion de Procé came two aldermen of Nantes, in 1669 and in 1780, and also two magistrates. Charles-Stanislas Marion was a general, who entered into the nobility in 1810, and François-Louis Marion was a chief commander in Napoleon's empire, who received his title to nobility in 1814. The members of the branch established in Lorraine became barons in 1816. From the branch Marion de Beaulieu stemmed a brigadier and a Baron in 1820.

Also in 1820, the members of the branch Marion des Noyers, in Brittany, became barons. In Guyenne, some members of the family settled in a town in the department of Gironde, in the district of Bazas.

Nicolas Marion, Lord of Fontaine and merchant of Quebec, married Marie Gueric in France in 1665. They travelled together to the New World, along with their son, Guillaume, who was born in 1667. Guillaume married Marie-Madeleine Demers in Quebec in 1698. 1

Early History of the Marian family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Marian research. Another 53 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1400, 1483, 1620, 1684, 1795, 1821, 1870 and 1881 are included under the topic Early Marian History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Marian Spelling Variations

The many different spellings of French surnames can be partially explained by the use of local dialects and by the influence of other languages during the early development of the French language. As a result of these linguistic and cultural influences, the name Marian is distinguished by a number of regional variations. The many spelling variations of the name include Marion, Marionnaud, Marionneau, Mariot, Mariotte, Mariolle, Marie, Mariel, Marielle, Marionel, Marionelle, Mariet, Mariette, Mariéton and many more.

Early Notables of the Marian family

Another 34 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Marian Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Marian migration to the United States +

Immigration to New France was slow; therefore, early marriage was desperately encouraged amongst the immigrants. The fur trade attracted migrants, both noble and commoner. 15,000 explorers left Montreal in the late 17th and 18th centuries. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec. By the same year the Acadian presence in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island had reached 500. In 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported to Louisiana. The French founded Lower Canada, thus becoming one of the two great founding nations of Canada. The distinguished family name Marian has made significant contributions to the culture, arts, sciences and religion of France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Marian were

Marian Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Loreto Marian, aged 39, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1850 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Marian (post 1700) +

  • Janusz Marian Majewski (1931-2024), Polish film director and screenwriter
  • Maud Marian Wear (1873-1955), English painter and miniaturist
  • Diane Marian Torr (1948-2017), Canadian artist, writer and educator, known as a male impersonator and for her drag king workshops
  • Mrs. Eithne Marian Begley B.E.M., British Deputy Catering Manager for Youth Justice Agency at Northern Ireland Executive, was appointed Medallist of the British Empire Medal 29th December 2018 for services to the Youth Justice System and to Young People in Custody 3
  • Margaret Marian McPartland OBE (1918-2013), née Turner, English-born Grammy Award winning jazz pianist, composer, and writer, host of Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz on National Public Radio (1978-2011), wife of Jimmy McPartland
  • Mrs Daphne Marian Kingan of Glenganagh, Irish landowner of Tynan Abbey in County Armagh, widow of Thomas John Anthony Kingan
  • Norma Marian Beecroft (b. 1934), Canadian composer, producer, broadcaster, and arts administrator
  • Jan Marian Kaczmarek (1920-2011), Polish engineer and University Professor
  • Michelle Marian Telfer (b. 1974), Australian former gymnast
  • Wies³aw Marian Chrzanowski (b. 1923), Polish politician, lawyer, Sejm Marshal (1991 to 1993)

Empress of Ireland
  • Mr. Juon Marian (d. 1914), Hungarian Third Class Passenger from Budapest, Hungary who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 4


The Marian Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Nos murs, nos lois
Motto Translation: Our walls, our laws


  1. Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print
  2. 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)
  3. "Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62507, 28 December 2018 | London Gazette, The Gazette, Dec. 2018, www.thegazette.co.uk/honours-lists
  4. Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html


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