Marcus (name)
Marcus (abbreviated M.) is a masculine given name of Ancient Roman pre-Christian origin derived probably from Etruscan Marce of unknown meaning, or referring to the mythological figure Mars. Because Mars was identified as the Roman god of War, the name 'Marcus' can by extension be taken to refer to Ares in the Greek pantheon.
The name is popular in Europe, particularly in Sweden, Norway, Italy and Germany, and increasingly, in the Netherlands. It is also popular in English language countries, although less common than the shortened variation 'Mark', associated with the Gospel writer Mark the Evangelist (Μάρκος). There are other variants. Marcus ranks in the top 100 most popular boy names in Australia, Canada, England, Scotland, Sweden, and Wales since the 1990s, as well as, the top 200 most popular boy names in the US since the 1960s.
Marcus developed as a patronymic or locational surname in Italy, southern France, and Spain around 1000 A.D., attributable to religious monasteries and sanctuaries named Sanctus Marcus (or its many variants). The surname was used as an identifier for area of origin. The first historical record of the surname was in the year 1390 in Biberach an der Riß, Germany.
People with the name Marcus or its variants include:
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