2000
#1,136
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 28,184
First available Census row
Per 100,000 10.45
Uncommon Last name
Morin
A French topographic surname for someone living near a small hill, derived from the Old French "morin" meaning "small hill."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 32,177 Americans carry the last name Morin. That puts it at #1,229 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 9.39 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 10,652 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Morin 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 Morin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
32K
1 in 10,652
Census rank
#1,229
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
9.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
28K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 28,060 bearers of the surname Morin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 9.39 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1229th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Morin, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (26.2%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Morin
Among Census respondents with the surname Morin, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (26.2%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Morin 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 Morin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.2% · 18,861
- Hispanic or Latino26.2% · 7,360
- Two or more races2.6% · 736
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 551
- Black or African American1.3% · 372
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 180
Timeline
Historical Census data for Morin
Morin 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
#1,194
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 29,593
+1,409 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 10.03
Rank movement Down 58 places
2020
#1,229
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 28,060
-1,533 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 9.39
Rank movement Down 35 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,136 | 28,184 | 10.45 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,194 | 29,593 | 10.03 | +1,409 bearers (+5.0%) | Down 58 places |
| 2020 | #1,229 | 28,060 | 9.39 | -1,533 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 35 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 Morin 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 | #1,194 | #1,229 | -2.9% |
| Count | 29,593 | 28,060 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 10.03 | 9.39 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Morin bearers went from 29,593 to 28,060 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 35 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,194 to #1,229.
FAQ
Morin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Morin?
Name Census estimates that about 32,177 living Americans carry the surname Morin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 10,652 residents.
How common is Morin?
Morin ranks #1,229 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 9.39 per 100,000 residents, which is about 9 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 28,060 people with the surname Morin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (32,177), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 9.39 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 9.39 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 9 of them to have the surname Morin.
Has Morin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Morin went from 29,593 recorded bearers to 28,060. That is a decrease of 1,533 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,194 to #1,229.
What does the Census say about the background of Morin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Morin, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (26.2%) 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 Morin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.2% (18,861 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Morin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (67.2%), Hispanic (26.2%), 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 Morin (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 Morin mean?
A French topographic surname for someone living near a small hill, derived from the Old French "morin" meaning "small hill." 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 Morin (9.39 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 Morin?
See how many people have the last name Morin on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.