Find out how popular the last name Marrs is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Marrs.

Marrs, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Marrs surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Marrs in America

Marrs is the 6063rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Marrs surname appeared 5,658 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Marrs.

We can also compare 2010 data for Marrs to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Marrs

The surname Marrs has its origins in England and Scotland, where it first emerged in the medieval period as a locational name. It is derived from the Old English word 'mær', meaning 'a boundary' or 'a lake', and the suffix '-s' denoting 'of'. Thus, the name likely referred to someone who lived near a boundary or lake.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as 'de Mares'. This entry suggests that the name was already in use among Norman landowners in England shortly after the Norman Conquest of 1066.

In Scotland, the name is believed to have originated in the county of Roxburghshire, where a place called 'Mers' or 'Merse' existed. The earliest known bearer of the name in Scotland was Adam de Mers, who was recorded in charters from the late 12th century.

The name underwent various spelling variations over the centuries, including Mares, Marres, Merse, and Mersh, before settling on the modern form of Marrs. One notable early bearer was John Marre, who was born in Northumberland, England, around 1490 and served as a member of the Yeomen of the Guard under King Henry VIII.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name spread across England and Scotland, with several notable individuals bearing the surname. These include Sir John Meres (c. 1550-1639), an English poet and writer who was a close friend of William Shakespeare, and Thomas Marrs (c. 1600-1675), a Scottish minister who was a prominent figure in the Covenanter movement.

In the 18th century, the name Marrs appeared in various parts of the British Isles, including the prominent Scottish family of Marrs of Elibank, who held lands in Peeblesshire. Another notable bearer was John Marrs (1711-1796), an English clergyman and naturalist who made significant contributions to the study of botany.

As the centuries progressed, the Marrs name continued to spread, with bearers found in various parts of the world, including North America and Australia. Some notable individuals from more recent times include Walter Marrs (1856-1925), an American businessman and founder of the Marrs Department Store chain, and Jim Marrs (1943-2017), an American journalist and author known for his works on conspiracy theories and alternative history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Marrs

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Marrs.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Marrs was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Marrs has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Marrs was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Marrs, please contact us.

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