Marlowe
An English surname probably referring to someone from Marlow or Marlowe, with famous literary associations through Christopher Marlowe.
The #5,325 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 47,187 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Marlowe is generally understood as a locational surname, referring to a person from a place called Marlow. The place-name is usually explained from Old English elements meaning either “mere” or “mǣre” plus “hlāw,” often interpreted as “hill” or “mound,” though older sources do not always agree on the exact form. In practice, the surname was used to identify someone who came from that place rather than describing a trade or personal characteristic.
History
The name is best known through Christopher Marlowe (1564–1593), the Elizabethan poet and dramatist, whose fame helped fix the spelling in literary memory. Earlier surname dictionaries also note playful references to “Kit Marlowe” and similar forms, but the excerpts provided do not add much beyond that literary association. Modern bearers may preserve a spelling that is a variant of the more common Marlow.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Christopher Marlowe’s surname has become so famous that the spelling with a final -e often looks more literary than the shorter Marlow.
From the historical record
“tates." Lingard's " History of England " appeared, 1849. Madvig's "Latin Grammar" was translated and published at Oxford, 1856. Kit Marlowe was a w^ell-known English poet and dramatist. Massin- ger's Plays are now not much read. Maury is found both among the authors of England and America. Miss Martineau visited…”
— Suffolk Surnames (3rd ed.)