Given name & surname · also French, Latin
Marshall
“shoeing smith”·“a caretaker of horses”·“a steward”
Marshall is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “shoeing smith”, “a caretaker of horses”, and “a steward”. These belong to different or overlapping naming contexts.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “shoeing smith”, “a caretaker of horses”, and “a steward”. These belong to different or overlapping naming contexts.
Where it comes from
This spelling has been associated with Norman French, Germanic, and Latin naming traditions.
How it developed
It entered given-name use through an existing surname.
The story
Its naming history includes the use of a family name as a given name.
Marshall through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 98,604
- 97,447 boys · 1,157 girls
- Most popular year
- 1947
- 1,283 babies
- 2025
- 977
- #340 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −6%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 977 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 340 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 6.2% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 1,269 in 1947. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (88). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 57,529 as a first name in 2020; 175,713 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Marshall’s family of names
Marshall has a short form in Marsh. In English usage, Marshall as a surname shares a linguistic root with the Walloon form Marixhå. Marshall has a related form in Marshal.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Marshall has relatives in 3 languages. Lines run from its Latin roots to each of them.
4 related names in 3 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 10
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Marshalvariant · English
- Marshshort form
- Marshelvariant
- Marshellvariant
- Marschallvariant
- Marschalvariant
- Marischallvariant
- Marischalvariant
Show 2 moreShow fewer
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 3
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Marshall
- EminemAmerican rapper, record producer and actorborn 1972
- Marshall Warren NirenbergAmerican biochemist and geneticist (1927-2010)
- Marshall AllmanAmerican actorborn 1984
- Marshall SahlinsAmerican anthropologist (1930-2021)
- Mark SanfordAmerican politician (born 1960)
- Marshall RosenbergAmerican psychologist (1934-2015)
- Marshall BellAmerican actorborn 1942
- Marshall ApplewhiteAmerican cult leader (1931–1997)
- Marshall H. StoneAmerican mathematician (1903–1989)
Characters named Marshall: Marshall Eriksen (fictional character), Marshall Law (Tekken), Marshall Flinkman (fictional character on the television series Alias).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Marshall, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Tyler
“tiler of roofs” · “a tiler of roofs”
95% boys · 5% girls
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Dennis
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Nelson
“the son of Neil; the son of a champion”
99% boys · 1% girls
Mark
“dedicated to Mars, the god of war”
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Vincent
“conquering” · “one who prevails; the conquerer”
>99% boys
Curtis
“one who is courteous; polite”
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Charles
“charles the Great” · “one who is manly and strong”
>99% boys