Marquardt
A German surname most likely built from the old name Markward, meaning “march-guardian” or “border protector.”
The #4,058 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 35,289 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Marquardt is a German surname derived from the old personal name Markward, a compound of mark, meaning a border or frontier region, and ward, meaning guardian or protector. In this sense, the name originally referred to someone associated with guarding a borderland. The spelling Marquardt reflects a later Germanized form of that older name.
History
The surname is well established in German-speaking areas and later spread through migration to North America and elsewhere. Historical surname works often link Marquardt with related forms such as Markward, Marquard, and similar diminutive or regional spellings. In the United States it is now a fairly uncommon but established surname.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The first element in this name is the same Germanic root that appears in place-name words like “mark” meaning a borderland or march.
From the historical record
“MAR, famous; dim. (z), Mertz. MARK, frontier; Marquardt (Mark + ward); dim. (1), Merkel, Markli (Swiss). MAUR, a Moor ; sing. st. ab., Mohr. MID, reward, payment ; dim. (z), Miess ; pat., Mischler.”
— Studies in Pennsylvania German Family Names