Racine
A French surname meaning “root,” often a nickname or byname for someone figuratively seen as a “root” or origin.
The #6,933 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 63,843 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Racine is the French word for “root,” from Latin radix, “root.” As a surname, it most likely began as a descriptive or nickname-based name, with the sense of someone associated with a root, origin, or foundation. Early surname lists also treat it as the French equivalent of the learned form Radix and the English Root(s).
History
The name is well established in France and appears in medieval records there; one early form cited in historical surname studies is Racine or Racine-like spellings in Normandy. It later became familiar more widely through notable French bearers such as the dramatist Jean Racine (17th century). In English-language surname reference works it is usually explained as a French import rather than a native English formation.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname books explicitly call Racine a “singular but illustrious” surname in France.
From the historical record
“RACHEL. See Female Christian Names. RACINE. Fr. a root— a singular but illustrious surname in France. We have also the synonymous Radix, and Roots. RACK. This word, in our provincial dialects, and in Old English, has so many meanings, that it Is difficult to decide on the probable origin of the name. Halliwell…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom