Marks Family Crest, Coat of Arms and Name History

Marks Origin:

England, Italy, Germany

Origins of Name:

The surname of Marks has many possible origins and derivations. Firstly, Marks can possibly have derived from being a patronymic surname meaning “son of Mark.” Oftentimes, the addition of an “s” on a personal name denotes that the surname is patronymic. This surname could mean that the person who bore it was a son of Mark, which comes from the Latin personal name “Marcus” which is believed to derive directly from Mars, who was the Roman God of War. In Europe, this name was largely popular due to St. Mark the Evangelist, who supposedly wrote the second Gospel in the Bible, and eventually became the Bishop of Alexandria and the Patron Saint of the City of Venice. This surname may also possibly be of a topographical or locational derivative, from the Old English word “mearc” which meant “mark” or “border.” This surname could mean that the original bearer of this surname lived near a border of some kind, or could also be named after the city of Mark near Highbrigde in Somerset.

Variations:

More common variations are:

Mark, Marx, Markes, Markus, Marcks, Markis, Markos, Markas, Mareks, Markys, Markss, Marksa

History:

England:

The first recorded spelling of the surname of Marks was in the year 1288. One person named Robertus Markes, was recorded and mentioned in the Court Rolls of the Abbey of Ramsey in the year 1288, written and decreed under the reign of King Edward I, who was commonly referred to as “The Hammer of the Scots” and ruled from the year 1272 to the year 1307. Other early recordings of this surname are of legend. Marcus, the Brit, was said to be named Roman Empire in the year 406 A.D. but there is no record of this name. Robertus Marcus was named in Hampshire in 1148, and Philip Marc was named in Nottinghamshire in 1209. John Marks from Devonshire, and George Marks from Cornwall were named in the Oxford University Register in the years 1575 and 1593 respectively. In England, those with the surname of Marks are often found in the counties of Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Yorkshire, Lanarkshire and the city of London.

Scotland:

In Scotland, those who bore the surname of Marks were highly concentrated in the areas of Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, Ayrshire, Angus, and Midlothian counties.

United States of America:

The early 1600s was period of history when the Great European Migration began to occur. This was when European citizens were sick of the lives that they had in their home country, and migrated out of it looking for a better life with more freedoms and a better standard of living. The United States was a common area that these settlers flocked to, because of the recent development and discovery of this new land. The first settler to the New World who bore the surname of Marks was one Walgrave Marks, who landed in the state of Virginia between the year 1624 and the year 1625. Poor recording and the new state of the country may cause the discrepancy in this date. In the United States those with the surname of Marks were originally concentrated in the state areas of New York, Pennsylvania, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Ohio and the state of Michigan.

Marks Today:

United States 58,604

England 12,804

Germany 7,195

South Africa 6,959

Australia 6,179

Brazil 4,865

Canada 4,185

Poland 1,909

Netherlands 1,081

Guyana 1,053

Notable People:

Brigadier-General Edwin Hall Marks (1887-1967) who was an American Commanding General at Fort Belvoir in Virginia from the year 1941 to the year 1942

Laurence Marks (1915-1993) who was an American writer for both radio and TV shows including the popular hit M*A*S*H

Mrs. Elizabeth Marks (died in 1915) who was an English Third Class Passenger from Bristol, England who died in the sinking of the RMS Lusitania

Miss Georgina Marks (died in 1915) who was an English Third Class Passenger from Bristol, England who died in the sinking of the RMS Lusitania

Mr. J Marks (died in 1912) who was an English Assistant Pantryman Steward from Southampton Hampshire. He was working aboard the famous RMS Titanic and died during the sinking of the ship.

Leoplold Samuel Marks (1920-2001) who was an Englush cryptographer, screenwriter, and playwright. His most famous work was the screenplay Peeping Tom

Simon Marks (1888-1964) who was an English businessman

David Marks, who was an English psychologist and professor at City University in London, England

Dennis Howard Marks (1945-2016) who was a Welsh drug smuggler who became an author

Blazons & Genealogy Notes

1) (Steeple-Ashton and Salisbury, co. Wilts, and Pancras, co. Middlesex). Gu. semée-de-lis a lion ramp. or. Crest—A demi lion ramp. erm. holding a fleur-de-lis or.
2) (co. Suffolk). Gu. semée-de-lis or, a lion ramp. and canton erm. Crest—A demi lion ramp. erm. holding a fleur-de-lis or.
3) Gu. a lion ramp. ar. a bordure engr. or.