Morin last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Morin is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Morin.

Meaning of Morin

A French topographic surname for someone living near a small hill, derived from the Old French "morin" meaning "small hill."

Morin, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Morin surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Morin in America

Morin is the 1194th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Morin surname appeared 29,593 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 10 people would have the surname Morin.

We can also compare 2010 data for Morin to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 1194 1136 4.98%
Count 29,593 28,184 4.88%
Proportion per 100k 10.03 10.45 -4.10%

The history of the last name Morin

The surname Morin has its origins in France, with records of the name dating back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to be derived from the Old French word "morin," which referred to someone with a dark complexion or tanned skin. This could indicate that the name was initially used as a descriptive nickname for someone with a darker complexion.

The earliest known recording of the name Morin can be found in the Domesday Book, a survey of landowners in England conducted in 1086. The entry mentions a landowner named "Morin de Aubigny," suggesting that the name had already spread from France to England by the late 11th century.

In the 12th century, the name Morin appeared in various historical records, including the Pipe Rolls of Henry II, which documented financial transactions within the English royal court. One notable figure from this period was Robert Morin, a knight who participated in the Third Crusade (1189-1192) under the command of King Richard I.

During the 13th century, the Morin family established themselves in the region of Normandy, France, where they owned several estates and properties. A prominent member of this family was Guillaume Morin, who served as a royal advisor to King Louis IX (Saint Louis) in the mid-13th century.

The 14th century saw the emergence of another notable Morin, Jean Morin, a French theologian and philosopher who was born in Blois in 1305. He was a renowned scholar at the University of Paris and authored several influential works on philosophy and theology.

In the 15th century, the name Morin was associated with a place name in Normandy, "Morin-les-Bourguignons," indicating that some branches of the family had established themselves in specific localities. During this period, a nobleman named Jacques Morin (1420-1496) served as a military commander under King Charles VII and played a significant role in the Hundred Years' War against England.

Throughout the centuries, the surname Morin has been carried by various individuals from different walks of life, including artists, writers, scientists, and military figures. One notable example is Jean-Baptiste Morin (1583-1656), a French astronomer and mathematician who made significant contributions to the field of astrology and published works on celestial mechanics.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Morin

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Morin.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Morin was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 70.09% 20,742
Non-Hispanic Black Only 1.10% 326
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.78% 231
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 2.22% 657
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.22% 361
Hispanic Origin 24.59% 7,277

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Morin has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 70.09% 72.99% -4.05%
Black 1.10% 0.87% 23.35%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.78% 1.71% -74.70%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 2.22% 2.13% 4.14%
Two or More Races 1.22% 1.38% -12.31%
Hispanic 24.59% 20.93% 16.08%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Morin was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Morin, please contact us.

Reference this page

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"Morin last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 14, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/morin-surname-popularity/.

"Morin last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/morin-surname-popularity/. Accessed 14 December, 2024

Morin last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/morin-surname-popularity/.

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