Marran

This surname is of Irish origin. It is a developed form of the ancient Gaelic O' Mearain, meaning the male descendant of Mearan. This was a personal name which derives from the word 'mear' meaning 'quick'. The clan originated from County Monaghan, and the Marrans or Marrens, of County Sligo are believed to have been originally part of the Ulster sept. Early examples of recordings include Elizabeth Marron, the daughter of Eliza and Thomas, who was christened on March 24th 1866 at Downpatrick, Co. Down whilst John, the son of Thomas and Catherine Mee Marron, was christened at Carrickmacross, Co. Monaghan, on August 12th 1867. Other recordings show that Mary Marron aged forty, sailed from Liverpool to New York on the ship 'Henry Clay' on December 26th 1846, together with her two sons Miles and Thomas, and her two daughters Betty and Francis. They were early emigrants escaping the infamous Potato Famine which decimated Ireland and parts of England from 1846 to 1851. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Katherine Marron. This was dated 1714, when she was christened at the church of St. Peter and St. Kevin, Dublin, during the reign of King George 1st otherwise known as the first Hanoverian, 1714 - 1727. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was sometimes known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.