Last name: Maris

This interesting and uncommon name is of Old French origin, introduced into England after the  Norman Conquest of 1066. It may be, firstly, a French locational surname, deriving from the place  called (Le) Marais in Calvados; the first recorded bearer of the surname, below, was from this  region. The place was so called from the Old French "marais", marsh, and this term was also used  as a topographical surname for someone living by or near a marsh, as was the Norman-Picard  equivalent "marese". Topographical surnames were among the earliest created, since both natural  and man-made features in the landscape provided easily recognisable distinguishing names in the  small communities of the Middle Ages. Early examples of the surname, now found as Maris, Marris  and Mares, include: William de Mares (1191, Kent); Aldwin des Mareis (1199, Gloucestershire);  Walter del Mareys (1275, Worcestershire); and Richard de Marise (1275, ibid.). In London, the  marriage of Lenard Maris and Lettice Thresher was recorded at St. Gabriel Fenchurch, on January  16th 1585. The Coat of Arms most associated with the family depicts a silver saltire engrailed on  a red shield; the Crest is a castle, proper. The first recorded spelling of the family name is  shown to be that of Richard de Maris, which was dated 1086, in the Domesday Book of Kent, during  the reign of King William 1, known as "William the Conqueror", 1066 - 1087. Surnames became  necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax.  Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to  astonishing variants of the original spelling.

This website was constructed making use of all the information gathered by my Father,  Pieter Sarel Marais born 1928. Please forward any useful information about the Marais  family to my web address, and I will add it with the greatest of pleasure. To summarise  we were able to construct the Family tree up to the L-GENERATION in some instances. There  are also a lot of information not available. This document will be updated frequently and  will keep on growing as information becomes available. Thank you to Andre and Fanie Marais for  filling in some missing information and in time the complete family of Andre will be added to the  tree at a1b3c4d1e4f12.