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

Marsha, 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 Marsha surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Marsha in America

Marsha is the 77522nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Marsha surname appeared 247 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 Marsha.

We can also compare 2010 data for Marsha 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 Marsha

The surname Marsha is believed to have originated in Scotland during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "mersc," which means "marsh" or "boggy land." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a marshy area or whose occupation involved working in such terrain.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Marsha can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of written agreements made by Scottish nobles to support King Edward I of England. In this document, a person named Willelmus de Marsshe is mentioned, likely indicating an early spelling variation of the surname.

During the 13th and 14th centuries, the name Marsha appeared in various records across Scotland, often associated with places that had marshy or wetland environments. For example, the village of Marshaw in Renfrewshire is thought to be named after an individual with the surname Marsha who may have resided or owned land in that area.

One notable bearer of the Marsha surname was Sir John Marsha, a Scottish knight who lived in the late 14th century. He is mentioned in several historical accounts as a loyal supporter of King Robert II of Scotland and played a significant role in defending the country's borders against English invasions.

In the 16th century, the name Marsha appears in the records of the Scots Peerage, a collection of noble families in Scotland. One such example is James Marsha, who was born in 1542 and served as the Lord Provost of Edinburgh, a prestigious position at the time.

Another prominent figure with the Marsha surname was Elizabeth Marsha, a Scottish poet and writer who lived in the late 17th century. She is known for her collection of poems titled "The Muse's Delight," which was published in 1688 and gained considerable acclaim during her lifetime.

In the 18th century, the Marsha surname gained recognition in the field of medicine with the Scottish physician and anatomist John Marsha, born in 1721. He made significant contributions to the study of human anatomy and was a respected lecturer at the University of Edinburgh.

As the centuries progressed, the Marsha surname continued to be present in various historical records, with individuals bearing this name making their mark in various fields, including politics, military service, and academia.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Marsha

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

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

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

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