MARRIOTT

Marriott is a surname of English provenance, first recorded in the twelfth century, and is derived from the medieval feminine given name Mariot, a diminutive of Mary. The name is closely connected to Christian tradition, particularly to the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, on which girls bearing the name were often born.

In the Middle Ages, the suffix -ott was appended to a forename to form a pet or diminutive, a practice common in both English and Old French contexts. Thus Mariot evolved into Marriott as a hereditary surname, and early records show the form Marryott in the seventeenth century.

Earliest surviving references to the name appear in the register of the Knights Templars for the county of Warwickshire, where Hervicus Mariot is noted in 1185. This document confirms that the surname was already in use among men of note during the reign of King Henry I.

Several variant spellings arise from regional dialects and orthographic conventions: Marriott, Marritt, Marryatt, Marriott, Merrit, and Meriet. These, while orthographically distinct, are understood to share the same source.

Instances of the surname appear in the Court Rolls of Suffolk in 1195 and in the Hundred Rolls of Huntingdonshire for 1273, indicating a spread across eastern counties early on. By the fourteenth century the name was commonplace in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, as seen in the tax registers of 1320 for a Robert Maryet.

Competing hypotheses for the surname's origin include a patronymic derivation—meaning “little Mary” or “son of Mary” through the suffix -ott—and a habitational source linked to villages such as Marriot in Somerset or Marriott in Leicestershire. The latter theory is supported by medieval naming practices that often adopted a place name when an individual relocated.

The Norman influence is also evident in the form Meriet, a place name in Normandy, which may have been Anglicised to Marriott following the Norman Conquest and subsequent intermarriage between the English and French aristocracy.

During the Tudor and Stewart periods, the surname carried a certain regality, used affectionately for those believed to have affiliation with Queen Mary I, which may explain its prevalence among families in proximity to royal courts.

Today the surname remains prevalent throughout the eastern and northern parts of England, but it has also spread internationally due to emigration. It can be found in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, where spelling variations adapt to local linguistic norms.

Records of the name show over eight hundred centuries of documented usage, confirming its endurance as a fixture of English onomastics. This enduring legacy is a testament to the social and cultural importance of patronymic naming and the influence of ecclesiastical patronage across medieval Britain.

Typical given names associated with the Marriott surname

Male

• Andrew
• Anthony
• David
• James
• John
• Paul
• Peter
• Richard
• Robert
• Stephen

Female

• Claire
• Elizabeth
• Helen
• Jane
• Joanne
• Julie
• Margaret
• Mary
• Nicola
• Patricia
• Sarah
• Susan

Similar and related surnames

Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.

How to communicate the surname Marriott in...

Braille

⠍⠁⠗⠗⠊⠕⠞⠞

Morse

--.-.-..-...-----

Semaphore

Surname type: Diminutive

Origin: English

Region of origin: British Isles

Country of origin: England

Religion of origin: Christian

Language of origin: English

Famous people named Marriott

• Steve Marriott - Musician and songwriter (1947 to 1991)
• Jack Marriott - Football player
• Moore Marriott - Character actor (1885 to 1949)
• Andy Marriott - Football goalkeeper
• Adam Marriott - Football player
• Charles Marriott - Cricketer (1895 to 1966)
• John Marriott - Historian and politician (1859 to 1945)
• Patrick Marriott - General
• Alan Marriott - Football player
• Tim Marriott - Actor
• John Charles Oakes Marriott - Army general (1895 to 1978)
• Hazel Joyce Marriott - Actress, and screenwriter of television and radio (1920 to 2015)
• Anthony Marriott - Actor and playwright (1931 to 2014)
• John Marriott - Teacher and philatelist (1922 to 2001)
• Dennis Marriott - Cricketer (1939 to 2014)
• Jackie Marriott - Football player (1928 to 2016)
• Harold Marriott - Cricketer (1875 to 1949)
• Ernest Marriott - Rugby union player
• Ernie Marriott - Football player (1913 to 1989)
• William Marriott - Cricketer (1850 to 1887)

Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.

Your comments on the Marriott surname