Skip to main content

Updated June 9, 2019

Family name origins & meanings

  • German and Dutch : status name from Middle High German marcgrāve ‘margrave’ (from marc ‘boundary’ + grāve ‘royal judge’). In some cases the title may have been applied as a nickname for someone with overbearing behavior or as an metonymic occupational name for a servant in the household of a margrave.

Join the Family

Your partner in parenting from baby name inspiration to college planning.

Subscribe