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Martin Family History

Martin Name Meaning

English Scottish Irish French Walloon Breton Dutch Flemish German Czech Slovak Croatian Italian (Veneto); Spanish (Martín): from a personal name derived from Latin Martinus itself a derivative of Mars genitive Martis the Roman god of fertility and war whose name may derive ultimately from a root mar ‘gleam’. This was borne by a famous 4th-century Christian saint Martin of Tours and consequently became extremely popular throughout Europe in the Middle Ages. In North America the surname Martin has absorbed cognates and derivatives from other languages e.g. Slovak and Rusyn (from Slovakia) Marcin Albanian Martini Polish surnames beginning with Marcin- and Slovenian patronymics like Martinčič (see Martincic ). Martin is the most frequent surname in France and one of the most frequent surnames in Wallonia. English: variant of Marton . Irish: Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Mártain ‘descendant of Martin’ (compare 1 above). Otherwise a shortened form of Gilmartin or McMartin ; sometimes also spelled Martyn.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022

Similar surnames: Marton, Marin, Marvin, Martins, Marti, Marcin, Martina, Martie, Main

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Where is the Martin family from?

You can see how Martin families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Martin family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Martin families were found in USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 909 Martin families living in New York. This was about 12% of all the recorded Martin's in USA. New York had the highest population of Martin families in 1840.

Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Martin surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Martin

What did your Martin ancestors do for a living?

View Census Data for Martin | Data not to scale

Top Male Occupations In 1940

Laborer
15%
Farmer
14%
Salesman
4%
Truck Driver
3%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

Housewife
6%
Maid
6%
Housekeeper
6%
Teacher
5%

Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Martin family records will you find?

Census Records
There are 4 million census records available for the last name Martin. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Martin census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.
Search US census records for Martin
Passenger Lists
There are 530,000 immigration records available for the last name Martin. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.
View all Martin immigration records
Draft Cards
There are 764,000 military records available for the last name Martin. For the veterans among your Martin ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.
View all Martin military records

Census Records

There are 4 million census records available for the last name Martin. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Martin census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Martin

Passenger Lists

There are 530,000 immigration records available for the last name Martin. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Martin immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 764,000 military records available for the last name Martin. For the veterans among your Martin ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Martin military records

You've only scratched the surface of Martin family history

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What is the average Martin lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Martin life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 2004. The average life expectancy for Martin in 1940 was 41, and 74 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Martin

Browse profiles of historical people with the Martin last name