Marcus
Latin at root, given in dedication to Mars, the god of war. Around 650 Polish men carry it, so most people here have never met one, though it's quietly climbing with new parents.
Marcus Pronunciation
Marcus is pronounced MAHR-tsoos (/ˈmart͡sus/).
What Marcus means
Where Marcus comes from and what it has meant to the people who carry it.
Marcus is one of the oldest Roman first names, taken straight from Latin. It belongs to Mars, the god of war, and that connection gives the short meaning: dedicated to Mars. Roman families drew on only a small set of praenomina, and Marcus sat among the most common, shortened to M. on stone.
Two bearers fix the name in memory. Marcus Tullius Cicero argued in the courts of the late Republic. Marcus Aurelius ruled as emperor and wrote his Stoic Meditations in Greek. The name outlasted Rome. English speakers carried it forward, and it grew common across Scandinavia as well.
The Latin sense has never drifted far. To be named Marcus is to hold, in a single word, the old dedication to Mars.
How many people are named Marcus
1 in 32790 men in Poland is named Marcus. 651 people carry it in the 2025 register: rank #1166 among male names.
Marcus's popularity over time
9 boys were given the name in 2025, ranking #741 among newborns. It is making a comeback after a low in 2003.
Where Marcus is most popular
Marcus is most popular in Pomeranian, 443% above the national average (10 boys born 2019–2025), followed by Opole (+247%) and Lower Silesian (+155%). It is least common in Silesian, 30% below average.
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Pomeranian10 boys born+443%
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Opole2 boys born+247%
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Lower Silesian5 boys born+155%
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Masovian6 boys born+36%
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Łódź2 boys born+26%
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Silesian2 boys born−30%
Marcus as a middle name
Marcus is a first name for 651 men in Poland and a middle name for another 209, a 76/24 split. In the men's middle-name ranking it sits 475th, between Jacques (209) and Norman (209).
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#473 Francesco209
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#474 Jacques209
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#475 Marcus209
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#476 Norman209
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#477 Henrique208