Explore the Family Name Marquis
The meaning of Marquis
1. French: from the title marquis ‘marquess’, applied as an ironic nickname to someone who behaved like a marquis or as a metonymic occupational name for a servant in the household of a marquis. The title, derived from an ancient Germanic word meaning ‘boundary’ (compare March), originally referred to the governor of a border territory. Marquises did not form part of the original French feudal structure of nobility; the title was first adopted by the Counts of Toulouse because of their possessions in the border region beyond the Rhône. Compare Markee and Markey. 2. English: nickname from Middle English markis ‘marquis, marquess, nobleman’ (Old French marchis); see also 1 above. The word is also found as a female personal name which may also be origin of the surname. 3. Portuguese: cognate of Marques 1 and of the name in 1 above. Some characteristic forenames: French Emile, Normand, Marcel, Fernand, Lucien, Rosaire, Andre, Armand, Camille, Cecile, Jacques, Francois.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Marquis in the United States?
According to the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Marquis saw a slight decline between 2000 and 2010. Ranked 3861 in popularity in 2000, it dropped to 4065 by 2010, a decrease of 5.28%. However, the total count of individuals with this surname slightly increased from 8449 to 8737 within the same timeframe, a growth of 3.41%. The proportion of people named Marquis per 100k also decreased by 5.43% over the decade.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #3,861 | #4,065 | -5.28% |
| Count | 8,449 | 8,737 | 3.41% |
| Proportion per 100k | 3.13 | 2.96 | -5.43% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Marquis
In terms of ethnic identity, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows a shift in the distribution amongst those bearing the Marquis surname from 2000 to 2010. The percentage of individuals identifying as White decreased by 2.62%, moving from 90.19% to 87.83%. Meanwhile, those self-identifying as Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, Black, or belonging to two or more races saw an increase in their proportions. Hispanics marked a growth of 33.33%, while Asian/Pacific Islanders increased by 34.69%, and Blacks by 19.59%. There was also a rise of 20% in those claiming two or more racial identities. The only other group, American Indian and Alaskan Native, saw a slight decline of 4%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 90.19% | 87.83% | -2.62% |
| Black | 3.93% | 4.7% | 19.59% |
| Hispanic | 3.3% | 4.4% | 33.33% |
| Two or More Races | 1.6% | 1.92% | 20% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.49% | 0.66% | 34.69% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.5% | 0.48% | -4% |
Marquis ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Marquis is British & Irish, which comprises 46.4% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (26.9%) and Spanish & Portuguese (6.3%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Italian, Scandinavian, Ashkenazi Jewish, and Indigenous American.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 46.4% |
| French & German | 26.9% |
| Spanish & Portuguese | 6.3% |
| Other | 20.5% |
Possible origins of the surname Marquis
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Marquis have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 77.90% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 77.90% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 77.50% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 77.00% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 77.00% |
What Marquis haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Marquis is I-M26, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup I-M26 is descended from haplogroup I-M170. Other common haplogroups include R-L51 and J-M67, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Barajas, Fullmer, Riddick, Reddick, Del Valle, Pichardo, Hurley, Bigham, Doerr, Arce.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Marquis surname are: H1, H3, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins I-M170Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Marquis have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Marquis" Surname 33.0%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Marquis" Surname 24.4%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Marquis" Surname 20.5%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Marquis" Surname 16.1%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Marquis?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Marquis are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition