2000
#1,003
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 31,786
First available Census row
Per 100,000 11.78
Uncommon Last name
Marin
A French toponymic surname indicating someone from a place called Marin or a location near the sea.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 50,452 Americans carry the last name Marin. That puts it at #768 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 14.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 6,794 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Marin surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Marin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
50K
1 in 6,794
Census rank
#768
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
14.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
44K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 43,997 bearers of the surname Marin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 14.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 768th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Marin, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 86.7%. The next largest groups are White (10.5%) and Black (1.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Marin
The surname Marin originated in Italy, deriving from the Latin word "marinus" meaning "of the sea" or "maritime." It emerged during the Middle Ages, around the 11th or 12th century, and was initially associated with individuals residing near the sea or those involved in maritime activities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Marin can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Cavensis, a collection of medieval documents from the Cava de' Tirreni monastery in Southern Italy, dated around the 11th century. The name was prevalent in coastal regions such as Liguria, Tuscany, and Venetian territories.
In the 13th century, a notable figure bearing the surname Marin was Marino Faliero, the Doge of Venice from 1354 to 1355. He was executed for conspiring against the Venetian Republic. Another early record of the name is Pietro Marin, a Venetian navigator born around 1460, who explored the coasts of West Africa and Brazil.
The Marin surname can also be traced back to various place names in Italy, such as Marino, a town near Rome, and Marini, a locality in the province of Cuneo. Some variations of the name include Marina, Marini, and Marinis.
Notable individuals with the surname Marin throughout history include:
1. Juan Bautista Marin (1596-1667), a Spanish painter known for his religious works.
2. Marie-Anne Marin (1753-1805), a French painter and engraver during the Neoclassical period.
3. Marie François Louis Gédéon Naudet, Comte Marin (1739-1814), a French military officer who served in the American Revolutionary War.
4. Marin Drinov (1838-1906), a Bulgarian historian, philologist, and politician instrumental in the Bulgarian National Revival.
5. Marin Mersenne (1588-1648), a French mathematician, philosopher, and theologian, renowned for his contributions to acoustics and the development of the Mersenne prime numbers.
The Marin surname has a rich maritime heritage and has been carried by notable figures in various fields, from art and literature to exploration and warfare, throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Marin
Among Census respondents with the surname Marin, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 86.7%. The next largest groups are White (10.5%) and Black (1.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Marin bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Marin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino86.7% · 38,159
- White10.5% · 4,618
- Black or African American1.2% · 507
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 425
- Two or more races0.4% · 184
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 104
Timeline
Historical Census data for Marin
Marin appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#784
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 43,904
+12,118 bearers (+38.1%)
Per 100,000 14.88
Rank movement Up 219 places
2020
#768
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 43,997
+93 bearers (+0.2%)
Per 100,000 14.72
Rank movement Up 16 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,003 | 31,786 | 11.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #784 | 43,904 | 14.88 | +12,118 bearers (+38.1%) | Up 219 places |
| 2020 | #768 | 43,997 | 14.72 | +93 bearers (+0.2%) | Up 16 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Marin surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #784 | #768 | 2.0% |
| Count | 43,904 | 43,997 | 0.2% |
| Per 100K | 14.88 | 14.72 | -1.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Marin bearers went from 43,904 to 43,997 (+0.2% change). The surname moved up 16 positions in the national ranking, going from #784 to #768.
FAQ
Marin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Marin?
Name Census estimates that about 50,452 living Americans carry the surname Marin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 6,794 residents.
How common is Marin?
Marin ranks #768 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 14.72 per 100,000 residents, which is about 15 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 43,997 people with the surname Marin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (50,452), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 14.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 14.72 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 15 of them to have the surname Marin.
Has Marin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Marin went from 43,904 recorded bearers to 43,997. That is an increase of 93 (+0.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #784 to #768.
What does the Census say about the background of Marin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Marin, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 86.7%. The next largest groups are White (10.5%) and Black (1.2%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Marin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.7% (38,159 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Marin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (86.7%), White (10.5%), Black (1.2%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Marin (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Marin mean?
A French toponymic surname indicating someone from a place called Marin or a location near the sea. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Marin (14.72 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Marin?
See how many Americans have the surname Marin on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.