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

Marseille, 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 Marseille surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Marseille in America

Marseille is the 34758th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Marseille surname appeared 650 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Marseille.

We can also compare 2010 data for Marseille 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 Marseille

The surname Marseille originated in France during the medieval period. It is derived from the name of the city of Marseille, a major port on the Mediterranean coast in southern France. The name itself likely comes from the ancient Greek word "massalia," which meant "a settlement."

The city of Marseille dates back to around 600 BC, when it was founded as a Greek colony. Over the centuries, the name evolved through various spellings, including Massilia, Massalia, and Marsilia, before taking on its modern French form of Marseille.

There are records of individuals bearing the surname Marseille appearing in historical documents from as early as the 13th century. One notable figure was Jean de Marseille, a French knight who participated in the Seventh Crusade in the mid-13th century.

In the 14th century, a branch of the Marseille family settled in the region of Normandy, where they established themselves as landed gentry. A member of this family, Pierre de Marseille, is mentioned in the records of the Norman Exchequer in 1380.

During the Renaissance period, a prominent figure with the surname Marseille was François de Marseille (1521-1588), a French theologian and scholar who taught at the University of Paris. He wrote several influential works on theology and philosophy.

In the 17th century, Jacques de Marseille (1609-1677) was a French naval officer and explorer who led expeditions to the Caribbean and North America. He is credited with charting parts of the coastline of what is now Canada and establishing French settlements in the region.

Another notable bearer of the surname was Marie-Anne de Marseille (1760-1824), a French noblewoman and socialite who hosted a famous literary salon in Paris during the Enlightenment period. Her salon was frequented by many prominent writers and thinkers of the time.

While the surname Marseille is most closely associated with its French origins, it has also been found in other parts of Europe, particularly in areas with historical ties to France, such as Belgium and Switzerland.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Marseille

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

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 Marseille 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 Marseille 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 Marseille was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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