Water, water everywhere--the Pacific Ocean, the San Francisco Bay, Richardson Bay, San Anselmo during flooding season… It's no surprise that Marin County's original name was Marine County, until the 'e' was removed by the state legislature. One possible reason for the abbreviation was that California already had too many counties with long, complicated names (have you ever tried spelling Tuolumne???). Although others believe condensing Marine to Marin was done so as not to offend certain other branches of the military--yes, there are the proud Marines, but then there are those tough Navy Seals. Of course Navy Seal County would have been a misnomer, since our local pinnipeds are sea lions. (If your head is spinning now, so is mine.)
Since I don't want you to drown in a morass of confusion, I'll give you the real story--or stories. One popular tale is that Marin County was named for Chief Marin of the Licatiut tribe, a branch of the Coast Miwok that originally inhabited our area. It was said that Chief Marin fought valiantly in the early 1800s against Spanish soldiers in the region, his bravery inspiring even his worst enemies. (Marin's "sub-chief" Quentin battled another division of the Spanish army at the point that now bears his name--San Quentin.) Ah, but then there are those who espouse the theory that Marin derives its name from Bahia de Nuestra Senora Del Rosario la Marinera, the bay between San Quentin Point and San Pedro Point named by Spanish explorer Juan Manuel de Ayala in 1775. (If you're too lazy to go to FreeTranslation.com, it means "Bay of Our Lady of the Rosary, She of Seafarers.")
Either way, a nice name Marin--and a nice place to be.
Footnote: Speaking of names, did you know Redwood High School in Larkspur was almost called Licatiut after Chief Marin's tribe? Imagine that on a spelling test.
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