2000
#9,105
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,299
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.22
Rare Last name
Marine
A surname referring to someone who lived near the sea or worked as a sailor or shipman.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,642 Americans carry the last name Marine. That puts it at #9,749 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 94,112 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Marine 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 Marine with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.6K
1 in 94,112
Census rank
#9,749
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,176 bearers of the surname Marine in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9749th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Marine, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (26.6%) and Black (10.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Marine
The surname Marine is of French origin, derived from the Old French word "marin," meaning "sailor" or "seaman." This occupational name initially referred to individuals who worked as sailors or were associated with maritime activities.
The earliest known record of the Marine surname dates back to the 12th century in Normandy, France. During this period, many individuals took on surnames related to their professions or occupations, and the Marine surname likely emerged to identify those involved in seafaring or coastal trades.
In the 13th century, the surname Marine appeared in various historical records, such as the Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de la Trinité de Fécamp, which documented transactions and agreements involving individuals with the Marine surname in the region of Normandy.
One of the earliest known individuals bearing the Marine surname was Jean Marine, a sailor from Dieppe, who embarked on a voyage to the New World in the late 15th century, serving as a crew member on one of the expeditions organized by the French explorer Jacques Cartier.
Another notable figure with the Marine surname was Nicolas Marine, a French navigator and explorer who lived in the 16th century. He is renowned for his expeditions to the coasts of Brazil and Argentina, where he contributed to the mapping and exploration of these regions.
In the 17th century, the Marine surname gained prominence in the coastal regions of France, particularly in Brittany and Normandy, where many families were engaged in maritime activities or lived in fishing villages and port towns.
One of the most famous individuals with the Marine surname was Michel Marine, a French naval officer and hydrographer who lived from 1662 to 1728. He played a crucial role in the development of naval cartography and the mapping of coastal areas in France and its colonies.
During the 18th century, the Marine surname continued to be prevalent among families involved in seafaring professions or coastal communities. Etienne Marine, born in 1718 in Marseille, was a renowned shipbuilder who contributed to the construction of several notable vessels for the French navy.
Throughout history, the Marine surname has been associated with various locations and place names, such as Marine-sur-Terre in Brittany, Marine-de-Mimizan in the Landes region, and Marine-de-Sanguinet in the Aquitaine region of France.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Marine
Among Census respondents with the surname Marine, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (26.6%) and Black (10.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Marine 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 Marine surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White57.7% · 1,831
- Hispanic or Latino26.6% · 845
- Black or African American10.8% · 343
- Two or more races3.0% · 95
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 32
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 30
Timeline
Historical Census data for Marine
Marine 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
#8,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,676
+377 bearers (+11.4%)
Per 100,000 1.25
Rank movement Up 198 places
2020
#9,749
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,176
-500 bearers (-13.6%)
Per 100,000 1.06
Rank movement Down 842 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,105 | 3,299 | 1.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,907 | 3,676 | 1.25 | +377 bearers (+11.4%) | Up 198 places |
| 2020 | #9,749 | 3,176 | 1.06 | -500 bearers (-13.6%) | Down 842 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 Marine 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 | #8,907 | #9,749 | -9.5% |
| Count | 3,676 | 3,176 | -13.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.25 | 1.06 | -15.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Marine bearers went from 3,676 to 3,176 (-13.6% change). The surname moved down 842 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,907 to #9,749.
FAQ
Marine surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Marine?
Name Census estimates that about 3,642 living Americans carry the surname Marine. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 94,112 residents.
How common is Marine?
Marine ranks #9,749 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.06 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,176 people with the surname Marine. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,642), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.06 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Marine.
Has Marine become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Marine went from 3,676 recorded bearers to 3,176. That is a decrease of 500 (-13.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,907 to #9,749.
What does the Census say about the background of Marine?
Among Census respondents with the surname Marine, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (26.6%) and Black (10.8%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Marine in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.7% (1,831 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Marine appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (57.7%), Hispanic (26.6%), Black (10.8%). 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 Marine (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 Marine mean?
A surname referring to someone who lived near the sea or worked as a sailor or shipman. 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 Marine (1.06 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 many people share the surname Marine?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.