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Surname

The Marlatt Family

Marlatt is the most common spelling of the family name today. The Marlatts descend from Gedeon Merlet’s sons Josias and Abraham, whose descendants spread from New Jersey to Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Canada.

Other family names: Malott · Mellott · Marlett · Merlet

Where the Marlatt name comes from

In France the name was Merle and Merlet. Gedeon’s English-speaking neighbors on Staten Island and in New Jersey pronounced Merlet as “MAR-lett,” and the spelling followed: Marlett, Marlatt and Marlette. Read How Our Name Changed.

Line of descent

One of the main Marlatt lines, from Gedeon through his eldest son. Another runs through his son Abraham; see the line of descent page and the full family tree.

  1. Gedeon (Gideon) La Plante Merlet c. 1624–1684 — Huguenot immigrant; reached New Amsterdam in February 1663
  2. Josias Merlet b. 1645 — eldest son of Gedeon
  3. George Merlet b. c. 1685 — Staten Island
  4. John Marlett 1721–1780 — Mansfield Township, Warren County, New Jersey

Where they lived

Places recorded for people named Marlatt on this site, with the number of people who were born, married, lived or died in each:

  • Ohio20
  • Illinois16
  • Virginia14
  • New Jersey13
  • Indiana6
  • Canada5
  • New York3
  • Pennsylvania1

Family stories

What DNA shows

The Marlatt, Marlett and MarLett men in the Marlatt-Merlet DNA Project, descended from Josias and from Abraham, closely match one another, confirming a common father. One distinctive marker may identify descendants of Josias among Marlatt families of Warren County, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. See The Marlatt-Merlet DNA Project.

Questions people ask

Are the Marlatts and the Marletts the same family?

Yes. Marlett was the earlier spelling in New Jersey and New York; Marlatt became the more common one. Both descend from Gedeon Merlet.

Are the Marlatts related to the Malotts?

On paper, yes, through Gedeon Merlet; but Y-DNA testing suggests a break in one of the lines. See The Marlatt-Merlet DNA Project.

Everyone named Marlatt on this site

100 people, oldest first. Spellings included: Marlatt (87), Marllatt (12), Marlate (1). Living people are not shown.