Given name & surname · also Late Latin
Marina
“woman of the sea”
Marina is used as a given name and a surname. One Latin interpretation is “woman of the sea.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Latin interpretation is “woman of the sea.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Late Latin.
How it developed
In English usage, Marina is a feminine form of Marinus.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1886. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Marina through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 39,565
- 51 boys · 39,514 girls
- Most popular year
- 1994
- 1,307 babies
- 2025
- 488
- #602 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +12%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 488 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 602 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 11.8% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 1,307 in 1994. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (86). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 72,807 as a first name in 2020; 1,020 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Marina’s family of names
In German usage, Marina has a short form in Maren. In English usage, Marina is a feminine form of Marinus. In Estonian usage, Marina has a related form in Maria.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Marina has relatives in 15 languages. Lines run from its Latin roots to each of them.
16 related names in 15 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 21
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 8
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 14
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 6
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Marina
- Marina TsvetaevaRussian poet (1892 – 1941)
- Marina AbramovićSerbian performance artist (born 1946)
- Marina SilvaBrazilian environmentalist and politician (born 1958)
- Marina OvsyannikovaRussian television journalistborn 1978
- Maryna Bekh-RomanchukUkrainian athletics competitorborn 1995
- Marina DiamandisBritish singerborn 1985
- Marina RaskovaSoviet pilot (1912-1943)
- Princess Marina of Greece and DenmarkDuchess of Kent from 1934 to 19681906–1968
- Marina SirtisBritish actressborn 1955
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Marina, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Marissa
“woman of the sea”
>99% girls
Luz
“refers to the Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Light” · “of the moon”
1% boys · 99% girls
Coral
Coral is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “resembling the semiprecious sea growth; from the reef.”
>99% girls
Ávila
“bird”
—
Topaz
“resembling a yellow gemstone”
2% boys · 98% girls
Ascariz
“ash tree; spear”
—
Marisol
“woman of the sea”
>99% girls
Reseda
“resembling the mignonette flower”
5% boys · 95% girls