Sines
Likely a patronymic surname formed from a short personal name such as Sine, though the exact source name is uncertain.
The #8,525 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 79,965 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is probably connected with a short personal name, especially the medieval or regional name Sine or Sine/Syn, with the final -s often marking "son of" in English-style surname formation. In that reading, Sines would mean "descendant of Sine" rather than referring to a place or occupation. Some nineteenth-century notes also hint at an Irish connection, but the evidence in the excerpts is too slight to be certain about the exact root.
History
The historical record here is thin, and the excerpts do not give a full dictionary entry for the surname. The name appears in English records by the 17th century in the forms of individuals such as Sines Bert, suggesting that it was in use as a personal surname rather than only as a modern spelling. In the modern United States it remains uncommon.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Because the surname is so rare, even a few scattered early records can matter a lot in reconstructing its history.
From the historical record
“Sines Uniworth, of Bolton (co, LanclL : ibid. * Henrv Unnvorth, 16S1 : Presica Guild Rolls, p. 196.”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances