Show ContentsMarrow History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Marrow

What does the name Marrow mean?

Marrow is a name whose history on English soil dates back to the wave of migration that followed the Norman Conquest of England of 1066. The Marrow family lived in Leicestershire. Their name, however, is a reference to the family's place of residence prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, Marriot in Normandy. While many of the family settled in England, some stayed behind in Normandy as shown by Richard Mareta who was listed there (1180-1195.) 1

Early Origins of the Marrow family

The surname Marrow was first found in Somerset at Merriott, a parish, in the union of Chard, hundred of Crewkerne. 2 This parish was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Meriet 3 and possibly meant "boundary gate," from the Old English words "maere" + "geat." 4 Some of the first listings of the name include: Alric filius Meriet; and Aelric Meriete in 1066 and Aegel filius Mergeati c. 1086. Symon Meriet was listed in the Assize Rolls of 1202. 5 The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed: John de Meriet in Lincolnshire; and Simon de Meriet in Somerset. 6

Early History of the Marrow family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Marrow research. Another 84 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1614, 1657, 1679, 1695, 1698, 1708 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Marrow History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Marrow Spelling Variations

A multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Marriott, Mariott, Marriot, Marritt, Marrot, Marrotte, Mariatt, Maryet, Maryott, Marryatt, Mariate, Merritt, Merriott and many more.

Early Notables of the Marrow family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Augustine Marriott of London; Christopher Merret (Merrett) FRS (1614-1695), an English physician and scientist, the first to document the deliberate addition of sugar for the production...
Another 33 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Marrow Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Marrow Ranking

In the United States, the name Marrow is the 7,525th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 7

Migration of the Marrow family to Ireland

Some of the Marrow family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Marrow migration to the United States +

Many English families left England, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Marrow or a variant listed above:

Marrow Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Geo Marrow, who arrived in Virginia in 1647 8
  • James Marrow, who landed in Virginia in 1657 8
  • Mary Marrow, who landed in Virginia in 1657 8
  • Dorithy Marrow, who landed in Virginia in 1657 8
  • Jonathan Marrow, who arrived in Virginia in 1663-1664 8
Marrow Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Robert Marrow, who landed in New York, NY in 1816 8
  • Michael Marrow, aged 21, who arrived in New York, NY in 1848 8

Marrow migration to Australia +

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

Marrow Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • J.J. Marrow, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Constant" in 1849 9

Marrow 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. 10
Marrow Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • Mr. William Marrow, aged 25, British settler travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "Hopewell" arriving in Barbados on 17th February 1634 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Marrow (post 1700) +

  • Alfred Josephon "Jay" Marrow (1905-1978), American industrial psychologist, executive, civil rights leader, and philanthropist, awarded the Kurt Lewin Memorial Award (1964)
  • Charles Kennon "Buck" Marrow (1909-1982), American Major League Baseball pitcher who played from 1932 to 1938
  • Vincent Charles Marrow (b. 1968), American football coach and former NFL tight end
  • Mitch Marrow (b. 1975), American former NFL football player
  • F. Maclin Marrow Jr., American politician, U.S. Vice Consul in Gibraltar, 1921-22 11
  • Barbara Marrow, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from New Jersey, 1988 11
  • Alexander James "Alex" Marrow (b. 1990), English professional footballer


  1. 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)
  2. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  3. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  4. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  5. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  6. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  7. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  8. 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)
  9. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The CONSTANT 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Constant.htm
  10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  11. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 26) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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