| Laurel | Marina | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | The laurel tree | Of the sea |
| Origin | Latin | latin |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | LOR-ul | mah-REE-nah |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1883 | 0 |
| Peak year | 1956 (1,181) | 1994 (1,307) |
| In 2025 | 372 | 0 |
| Trend | Rising | Vintage |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Laurel | Marina |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 2,448 | 2,727 |
| 2010s | 3,618 | 4,402 |
| 2000s | 3,445 | 7,515 |
| 1990s | 4,365 | 10,174 |
| 1980s | 4,901 | 4,165 |
| 1970s | 4,065 | 2,834 |
| 1960s | 6,366 | 3,199 |
| 1950s | 9,439 | 1,906 |
| 1940s | 4,890 | 988 |
| 1930s | 1,525 | 579 |
| 1920s | 1,437 | 582 |
| 1910s | 366 | 312 |
| 1900s | 108 | 78 |
| 1890s | 98 | 42 |
| 1880s | 42 | 11 |
Laurel names the laurel tree, whose leaves crowned victors in the ancient world.
From the Latin adjective marinus/marina 'of the sea', itself from mare 'sea'. A long-established name across Romance and Slavic languages, borne by early Christian saints.
Laurel is more popular than Marina today: about 372 US babies were given the name Laurel in 2025, compared with 0 named Marina.
Laurel means The laurel tree (Latin origin), while Marina means Of the sea (latin origin).
In US records, Laurel first appears in 1883 and Marina in 0, so Marina has the longer recorded history.