Boy · #251 in 2026

Mark

Name: Popularity of the name Mark in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Mark, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

Mark is a common male name and is related to the Latin word Mars. It means "consecrated to the god Mars", and also may mean "God of war" or "to be warlike". Marcus was one of the three most common Roman given names.

Current Rank

#251

Peak Rank

#6 (1960)

Total Babies

1.4M

5-Yr Trend

-17%

1892

First Year

2023

Last Year

1961

Peak Year

#836

Peak Rank

Total Count

106

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Mark

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

The Story of Mark

Mark first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 85 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1960, when 58,719 Marks were born — ranking #6 that year. As of 2026, Mark ranks #251 for baby boys with 1,391 births, falling sharply (-17%). In total, more than 1.4M Marks have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Mark

Phonetically similar names — useful when Mark is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Marc
Merc
Marque
Marke
Marq
Mork
Morc
Marg
Narc
Nark
Narch
Morgue

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Mark

What does the name Mark mean?

How popular is Mark in 2026?

In 2026, Mark ranks #251 among boys' names in the U.S., with 1,391 babies given the name that year.

When was Mark most popular?

Mark reached its peak popularity in 1960, ranking #6 that year with 58,719 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Mark most popular?

Mark has historically been most popular in Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Mark.

Is Mark a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Mark is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.

What names go well with Mark?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Mark include Frank, Henry, Benjamin. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Mark

Mark is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 1.4M births in the dataset. Mark's peak popularity came in 1960 when it ranked #6. Use the chart and map above to compare Mark's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

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.