Surname Marsten - Meaning and Origin

Marsten: What does the surname Marsten mean?

The surname Marsten is of Anglo-Saxon origin and is derived from the Old English words 'mere', meaning ‘lake’ or ‘pool’, and 'tun', meaning ‘settlement’ or ‘farm’. Therefore, the last name Marsten can be interpreted as 'settlement by the lake'. It is a toponymic surname, meaning it was likely initially given to a person who lived near or by a lake. Over the centuries, the spelling of the name has seen variations like Marston, Marstone, and Marsden, among others. As people emigrated, they brought their surnames with them, causing the name to spread and its spelling to change slightly based on regional language influences. Always remember that surname meanings can often be approximate since they were given based on personal characteristics, occupation, or geographical locations centuries ago.

Marsten: Where does the name Marsten come from?

The surname Marsten is of Anglo-Saxon origin, deriving from England. It's a locational surname, which typically were taken from the place where a person lived or where they held land. The name Marsten specifically may be linked to places named "Marston," found in various counties throughout England including Bedfordshire, Warwickshire, Norfolk, and more. The word "Marston" itself could possibly mean "marsh town" in Old English, referring to a town or settlement located in a marshy area.

Due to historical migrations and the passing down of surnames through generations, Marsten and its variant spellings can be found spread throughout the world, although it remains relatively uncommon overall. The most significant populations can be found in the United States, England, Canada, and Australia. This geographical distribution can be examined through resources such as surname distribution maps and census records. As with many surnames of this type, the concentration of Marsten is not particularly high in any specific region, as it has become dispersed over time.

Variations of the surname Marsten

The surname "Marsten" has a few variants or similar surnames which might have the same origin. These include Marston, Marsden, Masten, Marrsden, Marseton, Marshton and Mairston.

The surname Marsten could also be a variant of the English surname Marston, both of which are habitational names derived from several places in England named Marston, from Old English merchetun meaning ‘settlement (tun) by a marsh (merche)’.

Another possibility is the surname Marsden, which is of Anglo-Saxon origin, and is a locational name from places so called in Lancashire and the West Riding of Yorkshire.

The variant Masten can be found predominantly in the United States.

Keep in mind that the spelling of surnames has often changed over the centuries. Names could be spelled differently in different documents for the same individual, and phonetic spelling and Anglicization of non-English surnames after immigration has also created many variations.

There is no way to know for certain if two people with similar or identically spelled surnames are of the same family without doing genealogy research to trace their family tree, but these are potentially linked names.

Famous people with the name Marsten

• Charles Marston: Charles Marston was a British archaeologist and explorer who completed the first archaeological exploration of the prehistoric painted caves at Lascaux and Altamira.
• Amory Marston: Amory Marston was an American auctioneer and founder of "Marston's Auctions," one of the oldest and most respected fine-art auction houses in the United States.
• Stavros Marston: Stavros Marston was a Greek-born British film director and screenwriter from the 1930s through 1950s. He is best known for directing the 1931 mystery/thriller film Alibi.
• Raymond Marston: Raymond Marston was a actors, playback singer, songwriter, comic actor, and lyricist. He is most famous for his performance as Professor Higgins in the Broadway production of the musical My Fair Lady in 1956.
• Lynne Marston: Lynne Marston is a British social anthropologist who focuses her research on the ways in which people adapt to life-altering circumstances.
• James Marston: James Marston was an American comic book artist known for his work with Marvel Comics.
• Anthony Marston: Anthony Marston is a fictional character from Agatha Christie's murder mystery novel, And Then There Were None.
• Stephen Marston: Stephen Marston was the Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of the University of Gloucestershire from 2008 to 2011.
• John Marston: John Marston was an English dramatist and poet active in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries.
• Eddie Marston: Eddie Marston is an English cricketer who played for Middlesex in 1995.

Other surnames

MarstinMarston