Martin Family History & Genealogy
Martin Last Name History & Origin
AddSummary
Martin is a common first and last name in European languages, and might be derived from the Roman god Mars.
History
Martin is a common first and last name in European languages, and might be derived from the Roman god Mars.
Name Origin
It derives from "Mars", the god of fertility and war, although it is claimed that "Mars" itself may derive ultimately from the word "mar", meaning "to gleam". The original given name has been used in every state in Europe since the 12th century crusades to free the Holy Land from the Moslems.
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Spellings & Pronunciations
There are many patronymic forms such as Martinez (Spanish) or Martenssen (Swedish), and diminutives such as Martineau (France) and Martinelli (Italian). Curiously the Polish spellings of Marcinkowski and Marciszewski are locational, originating from a town called Martin, as is the Czech Martinovsky. Examples of the surname recordings taken from authentic registers of the period include John Martin of Plymouth, England, who was navigator to Sir Francis Drake, on his first "Round the World" voyage of 1577, whilst Christopher Martin was a member of the Pilgrim Fathers in 1620. Suarez Martinez was christened at Asuncion, Mexico, on October 2md 1774, whilst Jack Martinet was registered at Berkeley, California on September 27th 1909, and Jeffrey Lynn Martineau at Los Angelos on April 10th 1948. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Walter Martin, which was dated 1166, in the charters of the county of Northampton, England, during the reign of King Henry 11, known as "The Builder of Churches", 1154 - 1189. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.
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Nationality & Ethnicity
Ireland & Irish In England, Martin is a variation on Marton which was given to people who settled in areas with a geographic boundary. In France, Martin is one of the common French surnames and is attributed to Saint Martin of Tours.
Famous People named Martin
St. Martin of Tours (France), Steve Martin (actor & comedian) Dean Martin (Actor,comedian,singer)
Early Martins
These are the earliest records we have of the Martin family.
Martin Family Photos
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Martin Family Members
Martin Family Tree
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Most Common First Names
- John 3.1%
- William 2.8%
- James 2.6%
- Mary 2.0%
- Robert 1.7%
- Charles 1.5%
- George 1.4%
- Joseph 1.3%
- Thomas 1.2%
- Jean 1.0%
Sample of 20 Martin Biographies
Martin Death Records & Life Expectancy
The average age of a Martin family member is 69.7 years old according to our database of 266,551 people with the last name Martin that have a birth and death date listed.
Life Expectancy
Oldest Martins
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Other Martin Records
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