Marine
A surname that usually began as a nickname or occupational label linked to the sea or to a marine soldier.
The #8,907 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 83,990 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Marine is best understood as a surname formed from the word for the sea or for something connected with the sea. The ultimate root is Latin marinus, meaning “of the sea,” which passed into Old French and Middle English forms related to sailor language and “mariner.” In surname use, it may have been applied to someone who worked at sea, lived by the coast, or had some military association with the marines.
History
The form is not among the commonest English surnames, and in some cases it may reflect French influence rather than direct English formation. Historical name dictionaries often place it near surnames like Mariner and Marriner, suggesting a close connection with seafaring vocabulary. In modern records it can also appear as a spelling adapted from other languages or as a given-name surname built from Marie/Marin forms.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same Latin root behind Marine also gave English words like maritime and marina.
From the historical record
“[M.E. O.Fr. mariner (Fr. marin, marinier) ; Lat. marin-us, marine] MARPLE (Eng.) Bel. to Marple, anc. Murpull = (app.) the Moor-Pool [O.E. mdr-\-pul] But for the old form recorded it would”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)