The Marsh surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 62,304 people carried this name — #537 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 4,730 people counted. That is up 2% from 60,999 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Marsh surname

A topographic surname from Middle English for someone living by a marsh.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Marsh» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘at the marsh’.

An early record he cites: Katerina del Mersch, 1379 — Poll Tax, West Riding of Yorkshire.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 516 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 5 births for the Marsh name in 1890.

Most were registered in Leinster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 200 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born, 1890

Leinster 4
Ulster 1

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 48 people named Marsh.

Most of them — 44 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 3 départements, most often Nord.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 44
Nord 2
Pyrénées-Atlantiques 1
Paris 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

41 people named Marsh live in Switzerland.

They live in 5 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Vaud.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Vaud 19
Zurich 12
Bern 4
Geneva 3
Nidwalden 3

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In Poland’s population register

25 people named Marsh have a registered home in Poland.

Of the 72 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 9 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Holy Cross.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Holy Cross 6
Lesser Poland 3
Masovian 3
Greater Poland 3
Lower Silesian 2
Kuyavian-Pomeranian 2
Lublin 2
Łódź 2

PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.

In the Nordic population registers

140 people named Marsh are counted in Sweden and Finland.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 111
Finland (2026) 29

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Marsh was found among the farmers of 13 counties.

It was most frequent in Dorset: 36 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 278. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Dorset 36
Kent 36
Cambridgeshire 33
Shropshire 31
Wiltshire 31
Somerset 25
Lancashire 20
Northamptonshire 20

And 5 more counties.

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In Scotland’s registers today

Marsh was recorded 28 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 872nd most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 27. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

325 families named Marsh, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 1,938 people lived in those households, 6 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 2 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Massachusetts 78
Connecticut 51
New Hampshire 45
Pennsylvania 32
Vermont 31
Virginia 25
New York 20
North Carolina 13
Maine 12
Maryland 7
South Carolina 7
Rhode Island 4

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 251 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Marsh in American newspapers,
1891–1911.

Newspaper page from The Whitefish Pilot carrying the name Marsh
The Whitefish Pilot 1911-01-05
Newspaper page from The Portland Daily Press carrying the name Marsh
The Portland Daily Press 1891-04-24
Newspaper page from The Whitefish Pilot carrying the name Marsh
The Whitefish Pilot 1910-12-29

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 19,821 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Marsh in Australian newspapers,
1800s–2020s.

137,727 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Marsh. The most, 21,923, date from the 1930s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in the Northern Territory, at 3.9 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 49,984
Queensland 28,159
Victoria 24,223
Western Australia 14,329
South Australia 11,913
Tasmania 7,397
Northern Territory 788
ACT (Canberra) 639

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Marsh.

Who carried it

People named Marsh,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Antonín Jan Marsh d. 1727 · parson
  • Dick Marsh d. 1968 · American football player
  • Paul M. Marsh d. 2024 · entomologist
  • James Marsh d. 1804 · military officer
  • George Marsh d. 1915
  • Eddie Marsh d. 2023

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Marsh,
in the records of 7 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States6,350 records

6,350 records of the Marsh name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 2,213
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 1,339
  • Other U.S. records 2,798
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record David Joseph Marsh

    Born 1949; from New York, New York. U.S. Marine Corps, rifleman; killed in action 1968 in Quang Tri, South Vietnam. Buried at Long Island National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Edwin R. Marsh

    Born 1922 in Ohio. Enlisted 1940 at Milwaukee, Wisconsin; driver from Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1995, buried at Wood National Cemetery, Wisconsin.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Ellen Marsh

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Teutonic from Liverpool, aged 27; helper. From London, England; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 6,350 records for Marsh in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia3,202 records

3,202 records of the Marsh name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 1,522
  • Tasmanian Names Index 647
  • Other Australian records 1,033
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Charles Marsh

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Earl Grey, sailing from Plymouth in 1842. Native of Dorset. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1848. Married 1848 in Hobart, Tasmania.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Robert Marsh

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Susan, sailing from London in 1837. Native of Bath, Somerset. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1847. Married 1847 in Campbell Town, Tasmania, aged 33.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Henry James Marsh

    Died 1897 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 69. Will registered in Tasmania in 1897.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 3,202 records for Marsh in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada907 records

907 records of the Marsh name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 692
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 57
  • Other Canadian records 158
  1. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Harry Boyd Marsh

    Served in the No. 2 Construction Battalion in the First World War, private; of Newark, New Jersey.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Sam'l Marsh

    Came to Ontario in 1879 aboard the Moravian, landing at Quebec, bound for P.a. Landing, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Betty Marsh

    Buried in 1952 at Transcona Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba, aged 25.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.

Showing 3 of 907 records for Marsh in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

United Kingdom176 records

176 records of the Marsh name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 136
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 33
  • Other British records 7
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record John Marsh

    Born 1878 at Kent; butler. Served in the First World War. Named in the Morayshire roll of honour (1921).

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Amelia Prow Marsh

    Died 1946, aged 98; buried at Dunblane Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Rose Emily Matilda Marsh

    Will proved in 1941; of Wrexham, Denbigh.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)

Showing 3 of 176 records for Marsh in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0) · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

New Zealand101 records

101 records of the Marsh name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 80
  • Waimakariri District cemetery records, Canterbury 17
  • Other New Zealand records 4
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Edward Albert Marsh

    Died 1973, aged 70; buried at Waimairi Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Julia Ann Marsh

    Died 1873, aged 59; buried at Omaka Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Jane E. Marsh

    Buried in 1931 at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 85.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 101 records for Marsh in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Netherlands48 records

48 records of the Marsh name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 26
  • Dutch population registers 22
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Lydia Marsh

    Married in 1896 in Amsterdam. Died 1938 in Hilversum, aged 67.

    Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Marinus Adriaan Marsh

    Born 1896 in Middelburg. Married in 1926 in Middelburg; office clerk. Died 1940 in Schiedam.

    Open Archives, Zeeuws Archief (CC BY 4.0); Open Archives, Gemeentearchief Schiedam (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Jozina Harriette Marsh

    Born 1892 in Middelburg. Married in 1930 in Amsterdam.

    Open Archives, Zeeuws Archief (CC BY 4.0); Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 48 records for Marsh in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

France9 records

9 records of the Marsh name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Jean-Patrick Philippe Marsh

    Born 1947 in Lys-lez-Lannoy (Nord); died 2000 in Restigné (Indre-et-Loire).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Charles David William Marsh

    Born 1936 in Great Britain; died 1994 in Les Rosiers-sur-Loire (Maine-et-Loire).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 9 records for Marsh in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Marsh.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Marsh is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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