Marshall

Marshall is a surname and given name of English origin. It derives from the occupational title marshal, which comes from a Frankish or Old French root meaning “stable master” and later evolved into a high-ranking official who supervised troops or a royal household. The form Marshall with two Ls is common as a surname in English-speaking countries, and the name is also used as a given name in some cases.

The name appears in geography and institutions. There are places named Marshall in the United States, including Marshall, Arkansas; Marshall, Texas; and Marshall, Minnesota, as well as the Marshall Islands, a republic in Micronesia. Institutions bearing the name include Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia, and NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama, named for General George C. Marshall. The Marshall Plan, officially the European Recovery Program, was proposed by George C. Marshall in 1947 to aid Western Europe after World War II.

Notable people with the name include Thurgood Marshall, the first African American justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, and George C. Marshall, a United States Army general and statesman who served as secretary of state and helped shape postwar policy. In popular culture, the name appears in the 2017 film Marshall about Thurgood Marshall, and in the Marshall brand of guitar amplifiers and audio equipment.

The name continues to be used in family names, fictional characters, and place names, reflecting its historical association with leadership, administration, and service.