There seems to be almost no end to the surname variants based upon the female names Marie, Mary, and Marion, although the latter is a form a patronymic meaning 'the son of Mary'. The popularity of the name dates from the Norman Conquest and seems to be a combination of the Blessed Virgin and the folk-lore associated with Robin Hood and the Lady Marion. The surname development dates from the 13th Century, later forms include Alyce Marian (1581, St. Michaels, Bassishaw, London), Dennis Marrion (1649, London), John Merryan (1686, Dukes Place), Will Merien (1562, St. Mary, Whitechapel) Ruth Merrien (1704, St. Katherine by the Tower), Philip Merrian (1706, St. Sepulchre, London). The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of John Mariun, which was dated 1279, The Hundred Rolls of Cambridge, during the reign of King Edward I, The Hammer of the Scots, 1272 - 1307. 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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