Marr
A surname most likely taken from the place name Marr in Aberdeenshire or Yorkshire.
The #3,341 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 28,790 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is usually explained as a locational name from Marr in Aberdeenshire, an old territorial district whose name was established by the 12th century. Some 19th-century writers also connected it with Marr in Yorkshire, and one source suggested a link with an older word meaning "pool" or "marsh." The Scottish explanation is the strongest in the historical dictionaries, though the exact deeper origin of the place-name itself is uncertain.
History
Marr is well known in Scotland as the name of an ancient district and earldom in Aberdeenshire, later associated with the Erskine family. English bearers may also have taken the name from Yorkshire. The surname appears in medieval records in both regions, so it likely arose independently in more than one place.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The Earls of Mar are one of Scotland’s oldest noble titles, and the surname is tied to that historic district.
From the historical record
“2 a corr. form of Maples, q.v. MARR (Celt.) Bel. to Mar(r (Aberdeensh.), 12th cent. Marr, which the late Whitley Stokes thought was from a tribal name. (Eng.) Bel. to Marr (Yorks), 14th cent. Merre, prob. = the Pool [O.E. mere] Cp. the Northumbrian dialect - vyord mar, ' a pool.' MAR RAT”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)Notable people named Marr
- Nikolai Marr (1865–1934)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.