Marriott
A surname usually taken as a diminutive of Mary, though some sources also link it to the Somerset place-name Merriott.
The #6,169 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 55,660 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Most historical surname authorities treat Marriott as a diminutive or pet-form of the female name Mary, with the ending -ot/-ott giving the sense of “little Mary” or “Mary’s descendant.” French forms such as Mariotte and Mariette support this explanation, and the name is also found in medieval and early modern English spellings like Marryatt and Marritt. Some writers, however, suggested a link with the Somerset place-name Merriott, so the surname may have more than one historical line in English usage.
History
The name is well established in England by the late medieval period and later spread widely through English-speaking countries. It appears in several spelling variants, including Marryat, Marryatt, Marritt, and Mariat, reflecting the loose standardization of surname spelling before the modern era. The novelist and naval officer Frederick Marryat made one spelling especially familiar in the 19th century.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The surname helped preserve a form of the female name Mary that was once common in France as Mariotte and Mariette.
From the historical record
“MARRIOT MARRIOTT MARRITT MARRYAT MARRYATT MARYON J (A. - Fr.-Heb.) dims, of Mary == ?”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)