Marvel
An English surname probably first given as a nickname for someone thought remarkable or wondrous.
The #8,523 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 79,944 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Most evidence points to Marvel as a nickname surname from a word meaning “wonder” or “marvel.” Middle English forms like mervail and the related Old French merveille refer to something astonishing or extraordinary, so the name likely began as a sobriquet for an impressive or notable person. One 19th-century source also linked Marvel/Marvell with a French place-name, Marville, but the nickname explanation is the stronger and more commonly accepted one.
History
The surname appears in English records in several spellings, especially Marvel and Marvell. It is best known today through the poet Andrew Marvell (1621–1678), whose surname helped keep the spelling visible in later centuries. In some cases the name may also have been influenced by continental forms or local spelling variation, which was common in early modern records.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same word family behind Marvel also lies behind the modern English adjective marvellous.
From the historical record
“MARTYR. A corruption of Murther, q. v. MARVEL, MARVELL. From Marville, a comm. and town of France, dep. Meuse. MASH. A corruption of the name Marsh, which explains it- self. Hence also Maish, Maishman, Mashman, Marshman. MATTERFACE. This name has been rendered "modest face ;" from A. S. mathie, modest. It is rather…”
— Ludus Patronymicus; or, the etymology of curious surnames