ESC Name Rank Total Searching... No names found Try searching for: Emma, Liam, Olivia, Noah... 1917 First Year 2022 Last Year 1983 Peak Year #1644 Peak Rank 1K Total Count 68 Years Active 🌍 ## Meaning & Origin of Marcus What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures. Marcus is a masculine given name of Ancient Roman pre-Christian origin derived either from Etruscan Marce of unknown meaning or referring to the god Mars. Mars was identified as the Roman god of war. Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus%5F%28name%29) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus%5F%28name%29) ### Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name) * Ancient Roman * Biblical Latin * English * Swedish * Norwegian * Danish [![Wikipedia thumbnail for Marcus](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1f/Mars_Pyrrhus_cropped.jpg/330px-Mars_Pyrrhus_cropped.jpg)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus%5F%28name%29) 📖 ## The Story of Marcus American parents first put Marcus on the record books as a baby boy name in 1880, with 47 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1984, when 5,996 Marcuss were born — ranking #57 that year. About 21% of every Marcus on record arrived during the 1980s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Marcus ranks #265 for baby boys with 1,292 births, falling sharply (-23%). All told, over 243K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s. ## Popularity Over Time ## Popularity by State ME WA MT ND MN WI MI NY VT NH MA OR ID SD IA IL IN OH PA NJ CT RI CA NV WY NE MO KY WV VA MD DE DC UT CO KS AR TN NC SC AK AZ NM OK LA MS AL GA HI TX FL Top 10 11-50 51-100 101-500 500+ No data 🔗 ## Variants & Related Forms of Marcus Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Marcus. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * [Mark](/mark) * [Markos](/markos) * [Markus](/markus) * [Marky](/marky) 🎶 ## Names that sound like Marcus Phonetically similar names — useful when Marcus is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * [Markus](/markus) * [Marcas](/marcas) * [Marcuse](/marcuse) * Markkas * [Markis](/markis) * [Markise](/markise) * [Marcos](/marcos) * [Markas](/markas) * [Margus](/margus) * [Marquez](/marquez) * Margis * [Marks](/marks) Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. ❓ ## Frequently Asked Questions about Marcus What does the name Marcus mean? Marcus is a masculine given name of Ancient Roman pre-Christian origin derived either from Etruscan Marce of unknown meaning or referring to the god Mars. Mars was identified as the Roman god of war. What is the origin of the name Marcus? Marcus has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: Ancient Roman, Biblical Latin, English, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish. How popular is Marcus in 2026? In 2026, Marcus ranks #265 among boys' names in the U.S., with 1,292 babies given the name that year. When was Marcus most popular? Marcus reached its peak popularity in 1984, ranking #57 that year with 5,996 babies given the name. In which U.S. states is Marcus most popular? Marcus has historically been most popular in Mississippi, District of Columbia, Alabama. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Marcus. Is Marcus a unisex name? In U.S. Social Security records, Marcus is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name. What names go well with Marcus? Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Marcus include Ira, Clifford, Bill. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data. What are nicknames or variants of Marcus? Common variants and related forms of Marcus include Mark, Markos, Markus, Marky. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms. ## Similar Names [👧ChisaPeak #1644](/chisa)[👧BrooklinPeak #1644](/brooklin)[👧FatoumataPeak #1644](/fatoumata)[👧FroniePeak #1645](/fronie)[👧ZilphaPeak #1645](/zilpha)[👧VanniePeak #1645](/vannie)[👧FloricePeak #1643](/florice)[👧MontezPeak #1643](/montez) ## About the name Marcus Marcus is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 243K births in the dataset. Marcus's peak popularity came in 1984 when it ranked #57\. Use the chart and map above to compare Marcus's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices. ### Continue exploring * [ Top names of 1984 → ](/year/1984) * [ Names of the 1980s → ](/decade/1980s) * [ Names starting with "M" → ](/letter/m) * [ Browse all boy names → ](/names/boys) * [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026) Data sources * Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships. * Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — [Behind the Name ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms). * Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/). * Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/). * Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.