Contents [hide]

Marten History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Marten History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France
Germany

The French duchy of Gascogne was the home of the family who first used the name Marten. The surname was derived from the patron saint, Saint Martinus, a Bishop of Tours and Evangelist of la Gaule who was very popular in the Middle Ages.

Early Origins of the Marten family

The surname Marten was first found in Gascony (French: Gascogne), an area of southwest France bordering Spain, that was part of the "Province of Guyenne and Gascony" prior to the French Revolution, where the family has held a family seat from ancient times.

Another source claims the name is from St. martin in Normandy. "This family descends from Walter, Lord of St. Martin, who about 980 married a niece of Duchess Gunnora. William his son was father of Roger, Lord of Mortemer, and of Ralph, Sire de Garenne, and of the Sire de St. Martin, from whom came the family of St. Martin in Normandy and England." 1

Abraham Martin was born in France in 1589 and died in Quebec on 8th September 1664. He arrived in New France, along with his wife and daughter, on the boat "Le Sallemande" on 30th August 1620. Abraham received a plot of land that eventually became the location of the Battle of the Plains of Abraham, fought between James Wolfe and Louis-Joseph de Montcalm. This land is still known as "Les Plaines d'Abraham", or in English, "The Plains of Abraham". 2

Early History of the Marten family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Marten research. Another 486 words (35 lines of text) covering the years 1345, 1370, 1445, 1500, 1550, 1560, 1605, 1634, 1639, 1648, 1673, 1676, 1681, 1689, 1693, 1699, 1706, 1710, 1711, 1717, 1721, 1742, 1743, 1755, 1789, 1800, 1803, 1810, 1818 and 1820 are included under the topic Early Marten History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Marten Spelling Variations

French surnames were subject to numerous spelling alterations depending on the region and time it was used. The early development of the French language relied heavily on borrowing elements and grammar from other languages. For example, Old French was infused with Germanic words and sounds when barbarian tribes invaded and settled in France after the fall of the Roman Empire. Middle French also borrowed heavily from the Italian language during the Renaissance. As a result of these linguistic and cultural influences, the name Marten is distinguished by a number of regional variations. The many spelling variations of the name include Martin, Martine, Lamartine, Martinat, Martinaud, Martinault, Martinot, Martineau, Martinet, Martiné, Martinon, Martinesque, Martet, Marthet, Marté, Martaud, Martault, Martot, Marti, Marty, Martinenche, Martiena, Martirena, Martens, Mertens, Saint-Martin and many more.

Early Notables of the Marten family

Notable amongst the family at this time was François Martin (1634-1706), the first Governor General of Pondicherry, Commissioner of French India (1681-1693), Governor-General of French India (1699-1706); Charles-Amador Martin, (1648-1711), Canadian clergyman, the second Canadian to be ordained a priest; Jean-Baptiste Martin, an officer and...
Another 44 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Marten Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Marten Ranking

In the United States, the name Marten is the 16,437^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3

Marten migration to the United States +

French settlers came early to North American, following in the wake of the explorers, and creating New France. Quebec City, founded in 1608 by Samuel de Champlain is said to have been the first American site founded as a permanent settlement, rather than as just a commercial outpost. But emigration was slow, in 1643, 109 years after the first landings by Cartier, there were only about 300 French people in Quebec, and by 1663, when the region was officially made The Royal Colony of New France, by Louis XIV, there still only around 500 settlers. Over 2,000 would arrive during the next decade. Early marriage was desperately encouraged amongst the immigrants. Youths of 18 took fourteen-year-old girls for their wives. The fur trade was developed and attracted immigrants, both noble and commoner from France. By 1675, there were around 7000 French in the colony, and by that 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. Despite the loss of the Colony to England, the French people flourished in Lower Canada. Among settlers to North America of the Marten surname were

Marten Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Swager Marten, aged 34, who landed in New York in 1654 4
Abraham Marten, who arrived in Maryland in 1661 4
William Marten, who arrived in Virginia in 1696 4

Marten Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Adam Marten, who landed in New York in 1709 4
Stoffel Marten, who arrived in New York in 1709 4
David Marten, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1727 aboard the ship "Molley John Hodgeson" 4
Michel Marten, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1792 4

Marten Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Christian Marten, who landed in Texas in 1840-1850 4
Sophie Charlotte Marten, aged 27, who landed in America in 1843 4
John F Marten, who landed in St Clair County, Illinois in 1870 4
Mr. Thomas H. Marten, (b. 1866), aged 25, Cornish miner departing from Liverpool aboard the ship "City of Chicago" arriving in the United States on 4 May 1891 5

Marten Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Ben Marten, who arrived in Arkansas in 1903 4
Mr. Richard Raymond Marten, (b. 1894), aged 10, Cornish settler, from Fowey, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Celtic" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 5th June 1904 en route to New York, USA 6

Marten migration to Australia +

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

Marten Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Frances Marten who was convicted in Kent, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Edward" on 23rd April 1834, arriving in Tasmania, (Van Diemen's Land) 7
Mr. Francis Marten, (b. 1827), aged 22, Cornish Labourer from Ponsanooth, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "General Palmer" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 10th April 1849 8
Mr. Francis Marten, (b. 1827), aged 22, Cornish labourer departing from Plymouth21st December 1848 aboard the ship "General Palmer" arriving in Port Phillip, Victoria, Australia on 10th April 1849 9
Miss Caroline Marten, (b. 1829), aged 29, Cornish dressmaker departing from Liverpool on 16th September 1858 aboard the ship "Shooting Star" arriving in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia on 11th December 1858 10
Mr. Fred H. Marten, (b. 1852), aged 35, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "Almora" arriving in Queensland, Australia on 8th March 1887 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Marten 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:

Marten Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Harriet Marten, aged 14, a servant, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Lady Nugent" in 1850

Contemporary Notables of the name Marten (post 1700) +

John Thomas Marten (b. 1951), American jurist, Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Kansas (2017-)
James Marten (b. 1984), American former football offensive tackle in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys, Oakland Raiders, Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins.
Tom Marten, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Kansas, 1972 12
Ulrich Marten (b. 1956), West German professional tennis player
Sir Harry Neil Marten PC (1916-1985), British Conservative Party politician
Maritza Martén García (b. 1963), Cuban four-time gold medalist discus thrower
Sir Clarence Henry Kennett Marten KCVO (1872-1948), Provost of Eton and the private tutor of Queen Elizabeth II
Barbara Marten (b. 1947), British actress, known for playing Eve Montgomery in Casualty
Alfred Marten (1829-1910), English politician and barrister
Roy Marten (b. 1952), stage name of Wicaksono Abdul Salam, an Indonesian actor
... (Another 5 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

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)
Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to New York 1820 - 1891 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_new_york_1820_1891.pdf
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th January 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/edward
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, May 30). Ships' Passenger Lists of Arrivals in New South Wales on (1828 - 1842, 1848 - 1849) [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_nsw_1838_on.pdf
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retreived 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_victoria.pdf
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_victoria.pdf
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retreived 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_queensland.pdf
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 4) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html