Mark Name Meaning (Origin, Popularity & Nicknames)

What Does Mark Mean?

Mark comes from the Latin name Marcus, meaning “dedicated to Mars.” Since it refers to the Roman god Mars, Mark also means “God of war” or “to be warlike.” It’s associated with the Latin “martius” and “martialis.” Other meanings include “polite,” “shining,” “warring,” or “hammer.”

What Is the Origin of the Name Mark?

Mark originally appeared as the Roman Marcus, ranked among the top three Roman names. Mark is also one of the Bible’s four evangelists and the patron saint of Venice.

Marcus is best known as a Roman name that came to England, where it became common as Mark in the Middle Ages. The author Mark Twain helped to popularize the name for American boys in the 19th-century.

How Popular Is the Name Mark?

Mark has been a top 500 boy’s name in the U.S. for many years and ranked 235th in 2020. In the U.S., Mark peaked at 6th for boys in 1964.

Mark was generally more popular from 1955 to 1970 when it appeared on the top 10 boy names list. It left the top 100 names in 2003 but has remained in the top 500 names since. Mark ranked 76th among boys’ names worldwide in 2014, then 7th in Australia and 9th in England that same year.

How Do I Pronounce Mark?

Mark is pronounced “MAARCK” in English.

Is Mark a Boy or Girl Name?

Mark is a boy’s name. The female variation of Mark is Marcella and Marceline.

Variations of Mark

Mark has many unique variations around the world:

• Marc (French)
• Marcas (Irish)
• Marco (Dutch, Italian)
• Marcus (Latin)
• Marek (Estonian)
• Margh (Cornish)
• Margus (Polish)
• Markas (Lithuanian)
• Markku (Finnish)
• Marko (Ukrainian)
• Markuss (Latvian)
• Marquinhos (Portuguese)

Nicknames for Mark

Anyone named Mark can enjoy one of these fun nicknames:

• Marker
• Markito
• Marko
• Marky
• Marky Mark

Similar Names to Mark

These names are both Roman and biblical, making them similar to Mark:

• Andrew
• Calvin
• Eli
• Ezra
• Gabriel
• Isaac
• Jacob
• John
• Liam
• Luke
• Marlowe
• Matthew
• Merrick
• Nigel
• Oliver
• Phillip
• Richard
• Solomon
• Zachary

Middle Names for Mark

Mark will match up to these boy’s names very well:

• Aleister
• Alexander
• Anthony
• Arthur
• Avery
• Cole
• Dean
• Donovan
• Elliot
• Evan
• Julian
• Kent
• Lorenzo
• Nicholas
• Owen
• Paul
• Robert
• Roland
• Sebastian

Sibling Names for Mark

Mark deserves a sibling with a name as cool as any of these:

• Adrian
• Antoinette
• Augusta
• Cyrus
• Dominic
• Eve
• Felix
• Flora
• Juno
• Laura
• Lionel
• Livia
• Lucia
• Madeleine
• Monroe
• Nathan
• Noah
• Rebecca
• Stephen
• Thomas

Famous People Named Mark

Plenty of famous people named Mark have experienced fame throughout history:

• Mark Belanger: American baseball player for the Baltimore Orioles.
• Mark Burg: American producer of the “Saw” horror series.
• Mark Cavendish: English road cyclist for the UCI World Astana Kazakhstan Team.
• Mark Eyskens: Prime minister of Belgium in 1981.
• Mark Friedman: Canadian hockey player for the Vancouver Canucks.
• Mark Gatiss: English comedian appearing in “The League of Gentlemen” series.
• Mark Loughridge: American vice-president of IBM.
• Mark McGowan: Premier of Western Australia.
• Mark McKinney: Canadian member of “The Kids in the Hall” comedy troupe.
• Mark Midler: Soviet fencer and two-time Olympic champion.
• Mark Mothersbaugh: American member of the band Devo.
• Mark Ruffalo: American actor known for “Zodiac” (2007).
• Mark Samuels: Canadian choreographer for Disney Descendents.
• Mark Slaughter: American frontman for the band Slaughter.
• Mark Spencer: English Member of Parliament.
• Mark Spitz: American swimmer and nine-time Olympic winner.
• Mark Veldmate: Dutch footballer for FC Groningen.
• Mark Vincent: Australian opera singer and winner of Australia’s Got Talent.
• Mark Wahlberg: American actor and musician formerly known as “Marky Mark.”
• Mark Zakharov: Russian director and 1991 People’s Artist of the USSR.

Mark in Popular Culture

Mark is a popular name, especially in various TV series:

• Mark Antony: Fictional character based on the historical version of the film “Cleopatra.”
• Mark Baker: Character in the film “Cheaper by the Dozen” (2013).
• Mark Brendanawicz: Character appearing in the NBC series “Parks and Recreation.”
• Mark Brennan: Character from the Australian soap opera “Neighbours.”
• Mark Chang: Name of a character in the TV series “The Fairly OddParents.”
• Mark Dalton: Character in the U.S. soap opera “All My Children.”
• Mark Donovan: Character name from the UK series “The Inbetweeners.”
• Mark Everett Sloan: Character in the medical TV series “Grey’s Anatomy.”
• Mark Fowler: Character appearing in the English soap opera “EastEnders.”
• Mark Grayson: Character also called Invincible, from the American comic book series.
• Mark Greene: Character in the TV series “ER.”
• Mark Halliday: Character from the Alfred Hitchcock film “Dial M for Murder” (1954).
• Mark Hanna: Character in “The Wolf of Wall Street” (2013).
• Mark Hogan: Main character in the 1980s American sitcom “The Hogan Family.”
• Mark Renton: Main character in the 1996 film “Trainspotting.”
• Mark Roth: Character appearing in the 1990 film “Pretty Woman.”
• Mark Scout: Character from the sci-fi TV series “Severance.”
• Mark “Skid” McCormick: Main character in the TV series “Hardcastle and McCormick.”
• Mark The DJ: Character in the musical film “Burlesque” (2010).
• Mark the Minion: Character appearing in the animated film “Despicable Me.”
• Mark “Toad Boy”: Character from the 1985 horror film “Ghoulies.”

Mark FAQs

Mark has been an iconic name from the ancient world to today:

What Is the Name of Mark in the Bible?

Mark is known as one of the four evangelists in the New Testament. In the Bible, Mark is also referred to as John, who was also called Mark. Mark is also known for being an interpreter for Peter, one of the Apostles of Jesus in the New Testament.

What Is the Greek Name for Mark?

Mark translates to Markos in Greek, with a similar spelling to the Latin Marcus. Since Greek was known as the language of the Bible at one time (especially in the New Testament), the evangelist Mark was likely referred to as Markos. Markos is still used in Greece, while it was shortened to Marco in modern-day Italy.

What Is the Female Version of Mark?

Mark’s female equivalent is Marcella, an Italian name that dates back to ancient Rome. Like Mark, Marcella means “warlike,” “martial,” and “strong.” Marcella also means “young warrior” in the original Latin. Another variation of Marcella is Marcelline, or the original spelling of Marcia, which technically comes from the Latin Marcius.