Marion History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Marion

What does the name Marion mean?

The name Marion comes from the ancient Medieval culture of France, that specifically of a northwestern region known as Breton. It was a name for a devotee of the Virgin Mary. Tracing the origin of the name further, we found the name Marion was derived from the Hebrew name Miryam, which means wished for child.

Early Origins of the Marion family

The surname Marion was first found in Brittany (French: Bretagne), where this family held a family seat since ancient times.

The branch Marionel in Lorraine was ennobled in 1598. Thomas Marie, of the branch established in Burgundy, was ennobled in 1661, in return for his services in the position of lieutenant-general in the bailiwick, and of mayor of Auxerre, a position which he had held over a duration of ten years. The branch Marion de la Bretonnière was ennobled in 1704. Of the branch Marion de Procé came two aldermen of Nantes, in 1669 and in 1780, and also two magistrates. Charles-Stanislas Marion was a general, who entered into the nobility in 1810, and François-Louis Marion was a chief commander in Napoleon’s empire, who received his title to nobility in 1814. The members of the branch established in Lorraine became barons in 1816. From the branch Marion de Beaulieu stemmed a brigadier and a Baron in 1820.

Also in 1820, the members of the branch Marion des Noyers, in Brittany, became barons. In Guyenne, some members of the family settled in a town in the department of Gironde, in the district of Bazas.

Nicolas Marion, Lord of Fontaine and merchant of Quebec, married Marie Gueric in France in 1665. They travelled together to the New World, along with their son, Guillaume, who was born in 1667. Guillaume married Marie-Madeleine Demers in Quebec in 1698. 1