boy's name
Mark
MARK
- Origin Latin
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 1
- Letters 4
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 1,442,410
the United States
#245
2025 births
Mark is a boy's name of Latin origin, most likely meaning "of Mars," borne by the evangelist who wrote the earliest gospel. It ranks 101st in Ireland and 245th in the United States, and it is falling everywhere.
- Mark is a name of Latin origin.
- Peaked in 1960, when 58,860 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 2,341 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 1 syllable, with the stress on syllable 1.
Mark over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 928 |
| 1890s | 968 |
| 1900s | 1,001 |
| 1910s | 4,222 |
| 1920s | 6,621 |
| 1930s | 7,519 |
| 1940s | 50,827 |
| 1950s | 383,235 |
| 1960s | 442,737 |
| 1970s | 195,227 |
| 1980s | 130,249 |
| 1990s | 76,021 |
| 2000s | 37,326 |
| 2010s | 21,128 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 8,663 |
What Mark means
Mark most likely means of Mars, from the Roman god of war. The derivation is not certain — a link to a word for hammer has also been proposed — but Mars is the reading the sources broadly support.
Where Mark comes from
Mark comes through the Latin Marcus, one of the small handful of first names Roman men actually used, and it is generally derived from Mars, the god of war. Its bearer is John Mark, the evangelist whose gospel is now accepted as the earliest of the four and a source for Matthew and Luke — a reversal of the traditional order, where Matthew came first. Mark is the traditional founder of the church in Alexandria, and his relics were stolen from there by Venetian merchants in 828, which is why the basilica in Venice carries his name and why the winged lion is the city's emblem. The name was carried by Mark Antony and by Marcus Aurelius, whose Meditations are still in print eighteen centuries later. Marc is the French spelling, Marco the Italian, and Marcus survives alongside all of them.
Mark in use
Mark ranks 101st in Ireland with 58 births in 2025 and 245th in the United States with 1,416 births, its largest market by far. It is falling in our data from a peak in 1960, and our records carry it from 1880. With 1.4 million lifetime births it is one of the largest names in our whole set, and it appears in every market we hold — the mark of a name that was enormous across the English-speaking world at once and is now receding at the same pace.
How popular is Mark?
In 2025, Mark was given to 1,416 babies in the United States, ranking #245 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Mark is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Mark
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Mark also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Mark over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Mark in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Mark
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Mark — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Mark
What does the name Mark mean?
Most likely "of Mars," the Roman god of war, though the derivation is not certain.
Is Mark the same name as Marcus?
Yes. Marcus is the Latin form; Mark is the English development of it.
Was Mark's gospel written first?
It is now generally accepted as the earliest of the four and a source for Matthew and Luke, reversing the traditional order.
Why is Venice associated with Mark?
Venetian merchants took his relics from Alexandria in 828. The winged lion is his emblem and the city's.
How popular is the name Mark?
In 2025, Mark was given to 1,416 babies in the United States, ranking #245 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Mark a girl's or a boy's name?
Mark is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Mark?
Mark has 1 syllable.
When was Mark most popular?
Mark peaked in 1960, when 58,860 babies were given the name. It has been falling over the past decade.
Is Mark a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Mark currently ranks #101 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.