NameCensus.

UK surname

Marr

A Scottish and northern English topographic surname for someone who lived near a lake, marsh, or boundary.

In the 1881 census there were 3,413 people recorded with the Marr surname, ranking it #1,337 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 4,084, ranked #1,660, down from #1,337 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Govan Combination, Gateshead and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Newton Stewart, St Monans and Pittenweem and Ythsie.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Marr is 4,307 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 19.7%.

1881 census count

3,413

Ranked #1,337

Modern count

4,084

2016, ranked #1,660

Peak year

1998

4,307 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Marr had 3,413 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,337 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 4,084 in 2016, ranked #1,660.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 4,179 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Marr surname distribution map

The map shows where the Marr surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Marr surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Marr over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 2,127 #1,370
1861 historical 2,345 #1,253
1881 historical 3,413 #1,337
1891 historical 3,818 #1,261
1901 historical 4,179 #1,349
1911 historical 2,059 #2,422
1997 modern 4,169 #1,551
1998 modern 4,307 #1,560
1999 modern 4,301 #1,574
2000 modern 4,202 #1,604
2001 modern 4,077 #1,618
2002 modern 4,193 #1,601
2003 modern 4,066 #1,621
2004 modern 4,042 #1,627
2005 modern 4,008 #1,621
2006 modern 3,953 #1,646
2007 modern 4,028 #1,629
2008 modern 4,036 #1,639
2009 modern 4,120 #1,648
2010 modern 4,207 #1,648
2011 modern 4,114 #1,659
2012 modern 4,009 #1,677
2013 modern 4,052 #1,692
2014 modern 4,100 #1,680
2015 modern 4,095 #1,665
2016 modern 4,084 #1,660

Geography

Back to top

Where Marrs are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Govan Combination, Gateshead, London parishes, Edinburgh and Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Newton Stewart, St Monans and Pittenweem, Ythsie, New Town West and Logie and Blackness. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Govan Combination Lanark
2 Gateshead Durham
3 London parishes London 3
4 Edinburgh Edinburgh
5 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Newton Stewart Dumfries and Galloway
2 St Monans and Pittenweem Fife
3 Ythsie Aberdeenshire
4 New Town West City of Edinburgh
5 Logie and Blackness Dundee City

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Marr

These lists show first names that appear often with the Marr surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Marr

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Marr, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Marr surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Marr household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Marr is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Marr is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Marr falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Marr is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Marr, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Marr

The surname Marr originated in Scotland in the medieval period, derived from the Gaelic word 'màrr' meaning 'prosperous' or 'wealthy'. It is believed to have been initially a descriptive name given to someone who had achieved prosperity or success.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of homage rolls made during the reign of King Edward I of England. The name 'Marr' is listed among the Scottish landowners and nobles who were required to swear fealty to the English king.

In the 14th century, the Marr surname was particularly prevalent in the regions of Aberdeenshire and Kincardineshire in northeast Scotland. The name is also associated with the historic district of Marr, an area known for its fertile lands and agricultural wealth.

The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners and property commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any references to the Marr surname. This suggests that the name likely emerged later, in the medieval period, specifically in Scotland.

One notable figure bearing the Marr surname was John Marr (c. 1589-1673), a Scottish clergyman and academic who served as the Principal of the University of Glasgow from 1660 to 1673. He played a significant role in the university's development during the turbulent years of the Scottish Reformation.

Another prominent individual was Sir John Marr (1772-1835), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. He was present at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 and later became a Vice-Admiral in the service.

In the 19th century, Alexander Marr (1828-1904), a Scottish-born Australian politician, made his mark as a member of the Parliament of South Australia and served as the Speaker of the House of Assembly from 1893 to 1897.

The Marr surname has also been associated with notable figures in the arts, such as Carl Marr (1858-1936), a German-American painter and illustrator known for his depictions of Native American life and western landscapes.

Lastly, Edwin Marr (1919-2003), an English football player and manager, had a successful career as a goalkeeper for clubs like Liverpool and Everton in the 1940s and 1950s, before transitioning into coaching roles.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Marr families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Marr surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Aberdeenshire leads with 589 Marrs recorded in 1881 and an index of 19.09x.

County Total Index
Aberdeenshire 589 19.09x
Lancashire 332 0.84x
Yorkshire 305 0.92x
Lanarkshire 268 2.49x
Midlothian 253 5.67x
Durham 194 1.96x
Fife 177 8.97x
Middlesex 169 0.51x
Northumberland 169 3.41x
Angus 143 4.63x
East Lothian 123 27.87x
Ayrshire 99 3.97x
Surrey 71 0.44x
Renfrewshire 55 2.13x
Kincardineshire 49 12.08x
Banffshire 33 4.77x
Cumberland 28 0.98x
Cheshire 26 0.35x
Lincolnshire 24 0.45x
West Lothian 22 4.38x
Nottinghamshire 21 0.47x
Dunbartonshire 20 2.23x
Isle of Man 19 3.07x
Kirkcudbrightshire 13 2.70x
Perthshire 13 0.87x
Staffordshire 13 0.12x
Warwickshire 13 0.15x
Morayshire 12 2.32x
Sussex 12 0.21x
Hampshire 11 0.16x
Stirlingshire 11 0.90x
Dorset 10 0.46x
Inverness-shire 9 0.90x
Kent 9 0.08x
Essex 8 0.12x
Pembrokeshire 8 0.76x
Suffolk 8 0.20x
Norfolk 7 0.14x
Flintshire 6 0.67x
Hertfordshire 6 0.26x
Berkshire 4 0.16x
Cambridgeshire 4 0.19x
Gloucestershire 4 0.06x
Selkirkshire 4 1.33x
Wiltshire 4 0.14x
Argyllshire 3 0.32x
Channel Islands 3 0.30x
Clackmannanshire 3 1.09x
Ross-shire 3 0.33x
Shetland 3 0.88x
Westmorland 3 0.41x
Wigtownshire 3 0.68x
Caithness 2 0.44x
Derbyshire 2 0.04x
Roxburghshire 2 0.33x
Royal Navy 2 0.50x
Somerset 2 0.04x
Caernarfonshire 1 0.07x
Dumfriesshire 1 0.14x
Glamorgan 1 0.02x
Montgomeryshire 1 0.13x
Nairnshire 1 0.98x
Northamptonshire 1 0.03x
Worcestershire 1 0.02x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Aberdeen Old Machar in Aberdeenshire leads with 127 Marrs recorded in 1881 and an index of 19.71x.

Place Total Index
Aberdeen Old Machar 127 19.71x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 109 6.07x
Govan 106 3.98x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 87 15.07x
Liverpool 52 2.17x
Dunbar 49 79.19x
Barony 48 1.76x
St Monance 46 195.33x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 41 13.85x
South Leith 41 8.16x
Dundee 39 3.38x
Ellon 38 89.54x
Berwick North 36 116.47x
Camberwell 32 1.50x
Leeds 32 1.72x
Tarves 31 106.20x
Liberton 29 42.08x
Manchester 29 1.63x
Fyvie 28 55.60x
Prestonpans 26 87.84x
Glasgow 25 1.31x
Turriff 25 50.19x
Alnwick 24 28.16x
Gateshead 24 3.23x
Lynesack Softley 23 85.89x
Wallsend 23 14.63x
Bishopwearmouth 22 2.59x
Kensington London 22 1.19x
Mauchline 22 76.76x
Hornsey 21 4.98x
Holy Trinity 20 2.52x
Kintore 20 74.57x
Barrow In Furness 19 3.53x
Liff Benvie 19 4.05x
Salford 19 1.63x
Esh 18 24.95x
Peterhead 18 11.03x
Rathen 18 55.66x
Kirkdale 17 2.56x
Pittenweem 17 69.90x
Toxteth Park 17 1.27x
Brightside Bierlow 16 2.47x
Helmington Row 16 34.65x
Sculcoates 16 3.06x
St Vigeans 16 9.60x
Dalton In Furness 15 9.83x
Everton 15 1.19x
New Monkland 15 4.71x
Pennington In Ulverston 15 76.30x
Abbey 14 3.55x
Carnwath 14 21.01x
Crawford 14 69.62x
Foveran 14 59.93x
Heworth 14 7.17x
Marnoch 14 37.72x
Millom 14 15.92x
Newcastle On Tyne St John 14 21.48x
North Leith 14 6.78x
Aston 13 0.56x
Brechin 13 10.72x
Cruden 13 32.71x
Dunnerdale With 13 377.91x
Elswick 13 3.29x
Fraserburgh 13 14.96x
Lumphanan 13 100.23x
Montrose 13 6.95x
Nigg 13 38.73x
Hamilton 12 3.99x
Kilrenny 12 32.89x
Lambeth 12 0.41x
Newcastle On Tyne St 12 4.67x
Pendleton In Salford 12 2.55x
Urquhart 12 49.04x
West Greenock 12 2.59x
Aberdour 11 45.23x
Irvine 11 15.88x
Minnigaff 11 60.71x
Old Deer 11 18.81x
Westgate 11 3.58x
Westminster St John 11 2.71x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Marr surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Marr surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 96
William 82
James 68
Thomas 65
George 46
Robert 37
Joseph 27
Edward 20
Henry 19
Michael 15
Charles 14
Richard 14
Patrick 12
Alexander 10
Francis 9
Frederick 9
David 8
Alfred 7
Andrew 7
Arthur 7
Daniel 7
Walter 7
Wm. 7
Samuel 6
Thos. 6
Christopher 5
Albert 4
Anthony 4
Hugh 4
Joshua 4
Martin 4
Peter 4
Dennis 3
Ernest 3
Herbert 3
Jas. 3
Jeremiah 3
Ralph 3
Archibald 2
Benjamin 2
Geo. 2
Harry 2
Jno. 2
Jonathan 2
Lawrence 2
Matthew 2
Phillip 2
Robt. 2
Stokoe 2
Wm.B. 1

FAQ

Marr surname: questions and answers

How common was the Marr surname in 1881?

In 1881, 3,413 people were recorded with the Marr surname. That placed it at #1,337 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Marr surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 4,084 in 2016. That gives Marr a modern rank of #1,660.

What does the Marr surname mean?

A Scottish and northern English topographic surname for someone who lived near a lake, marsh, or boundary.

What does the Marr map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Marr bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.