This Old French name is habitational for one who lived by the sea or who came from one of the villages called Mars in both France and Spain. The prepositional "de" is equivalent to the German "von", and regarded as a mark of aristocracy, since possession of a habitational name was normally associated with lordship over the estates in question. In this case the name seems to be particularly associated with the Ardennes District which in itself is unusual as the Ardennes are far from the sea! The main Coat of Arms of de Mars was granted in Languedoc, an area renowned for its Huguenot (Protestant) support. The Coat of Arms is a pally of red and gold, in chief a blue canton, the sign of highly distinguished service to the throne, presumably the kings of France. Recordings include Alexandre de Mars, who married Jeanne Marie Bourguignon at Thilay, Ardennes, on April 16th 1823, whilst in Canada, on August 29th 1834, Leon De Mars was recorded in Quebec at the Church of St. Jean, Jean d'Iberville. In Wisconsin, on November 23rd 1885, Mary de Mars married Frank Patnode at Eau Galle, Dunn, in the Presidency of Grover Cleveland (1885 - 1889). The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Claude de Mars, which was dated July 1st 1758, a christening witness at the City of Brest, Finisterre, France, during the reign of King Louis XV of France, 1715 - 1774. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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