2000
#46,944
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 426
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.16
Very Rare Last name
Marineau
A French surname derived from a diminutive of "marin" meaning "sailor" or "seaman".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 483 Americans carry the last name Marineau. That puts it at #53,103 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 709,636 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Marineau 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.
Bearers in the US
483
1 in 709,636
Census rank
#53,103
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
421
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 421 bearers of the surname Marineau in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 53103rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Marineau, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.8%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Marineau
The surname Marineau originated in France and dates back to the 17th century. It is derived from the Old French word "marin," meaning a sailor or seaman. The name likely originated in coastal regions of France, where many people worked in maritime professions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Marineau can be found in the parish records of Saint-Étienne-du-Mont, Paris, in the year 1634. The record mentions a certain Jean Marineau, who was born in that year.
Another notable early reference to the name comes from the marriage records of Rouen, Normandy, in 1668, where a woman named Marie Marineau is mentioned.
In the 18th century, the name appears to have spread to other parts of France, as well as to French colonies in North America. For example, a man named Pierre Marineau was born in Quebec City in 1723.
One of the earliest notable figures to bear the surname Marineau was Jean-Baptiste Marineau, a French naval officer who was born in Lorient in 1745. He served in the French Navy during the American Revolutionary War and played a role in the Battle of the Chesapeake in 1781.
Another significant individual with the surname Marineau was Étienne Marineau, a French poet and dramatist who lived from 1769 to 1853. He is best known for his tragedies and historical plays, which were popular in the early 19th century.
In the 19th century, the name Marineau also appears in historical records from other parts of Europe. For instance, a man named Joseph Marineau was born in Strasbourg, France (then part of Germany) in 1821.
A notable figure from this period was Henri Marineau, a French painter and illustrator who lived from 1853 to 1924. He was known for his depictions of rural life and landscapes in France.
In the 20th century, one of the most prominent individuals with the surname Marineau was André Marineau, a French writer and journalist who was born in Paris in 1905 and died in 1971. He was known for his novels and essays on social and political issues.
These are just a few examples of the history and notable figures associated with the surname Marineau, which has its roots in the maritime traditions of France and has spread to various parts of the world over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Marineau
Among Census respondents with the surname Marineau, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.8%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Marineau 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 Marineau surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.4% · 368
- Hispanic or Latino8.8% · 37
- Two or more races2.6% · 11
- Black or African American1.0% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Marineau
Marineau 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
#47,356
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 448
+22 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.15
Rank movement Down 412 places
2020
#53,103
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 421
-27 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Down 5,747 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #46,944 | 426 | 0.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #47,356 | 448 | 0.15 | +22 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 412 places |
| 2020 | #53,103 | 421 | 0.14 | -27 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 5,747 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 Marineau 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 | #47,356 | #53,103 | -12.1% |
| Count | 448 | 421 | -6.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.15 | 0.14 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Marineau bearers went from 448 to 421 (-6.0% change). The surname moved down 5,747 positions in the national ranking, going from #47,356 to #53,103.
FAQ
Marineau surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Marineau?
Name Census estimates that about 483 living Americans carry the surname Marineau. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 709,636 residents.
How common is Marineau?
Marineau ranks #53,103 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.14 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 421 people with the surname Marineau. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (483), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.14 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Marineau.
Has Marineau become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Marineau went from 448 recorded bearers to 421. That is a decrease of 27 (-6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #47,356 to #53,103.
What does the Census say about the background of Marineau?
Among Census respondents with the surname Marineau, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.8%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Marineau in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.4% (368 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Marineau appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.4%), Hispanic (8.8%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Marineau (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 Marineau mean?
A French surname derived from a diminutive of "marin" meaning "sailor" or "seaman". 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 Marineau (0.14 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 have the surname Marineau?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.