MARILYN MARSHALL

Elaboration of Mary, with the addition of the productive suffix -lyn (see Lynn). It is recorded in the 18th century, possibly as a blend of Mary and Ellen, but first came into regular use in the 20th century, peaking in the 1940s and 50s. Since then its use has been surprisingly moderate, considering the enduring popularity of the film star Marilyn Monroe (1926–62), baptized Norma Jeane Baker.

English and Scottish: status name or occupational name from Middle English, Old French maresc(h)al ‘marshal’. The term is of Germanic origin (compare Old High German marah ‘horse’, ‘mare’ + scalc ‘servant’). Originally it denoted a man who looked after horses, but by the heyday of medieval surname formation it denoted on the one hand one of the most important servants in a great household (in the royal household a high official of state, one with military responsibilities), and on the other a humble shoeing smith or farrier. It was also an occupational name for a medieval court officer responsible for the custody of prisoners. An even wider range of meanings is found in some other languages: compare for example Polish Marszałek (see Marszalek). The surname is also borne by Jews, presumably as an Americanized form of one or more likesounding Jewish surnames.