Frequency: (295)
(number of times this surname appears in a sample database of 88.7 million names, representing one third of the 1997 US population)
Irish (of Norman origin): from the Latin nickname Martellus or its Old French derivative Martel ‘hammer’. In Ireland, this surname is found in counties Tipperary, Limerick, and Cork.
See the Key to the Dictionary or consult the General Introduction for further explanation.
