Boy · #251 in 2026

Mark

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.

  • English
  • Russian
  • Ukrainian
  • Belarusian
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
4K
Total Count
106
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Mark

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

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.

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

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

  • English
  • Russian
  • Ukrainian
  • Belarusian
  • Dutch
  • Danish
  • Armenian
  • Biblical
  • Hungarian

The Story of Mark

The earliest SSA record of Mark as a baby boy name dates back to 1880, when 85 babies received it. 1960 was its biggest year on record, with 58,719 newborns named Mark — #6 in the national rankings. About 32% of every Mark on record arrived during the 1960s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Mark ranks #251 for baby boys with 1,391 births, falling sharply (-17%). All told, over 1.4M 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 Mark

Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Mark. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

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.

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Mark

What does the name Mark mean?
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.
What is the origin of the name Mark?
Mark has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: English, Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Dutch, Danish, Armenian, Biblical, Hungarian.
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.
What are nicknames or variants of Mark?
Common variants and related forms of Mark include Marcus, Marko, Markus, Marky. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms.

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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.