Marcus
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.
- Ancient Roman
- Biblical Latin
- English
- Swedish
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 (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Ancient Roman
- Biblical Latin
- English
- Swedish
- Norwegian
- Danish
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
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.
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.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Marcus
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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 →
- Names of the 1980s →
- Names starting with "M" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . 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 (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
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.