Markes
A feminine variant of the Latin name Marcus, meaning "martial" or "warlike".
Name Census estimates that about 145 living Americans carry the first name Markes. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Markes today is around 29 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Markes births was 1994 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Markes. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
145
~ 1 in 2,363,823 Americans
Peak year
1994
15 babies that year
Average age
29
years old
2011 SSA rank
#10,357
Tracked since 1930
Census
Markes in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 217 people with the first name Markes, which placed it at #36,520 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#36,520
National first-name rank
People counted
217
217 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
61.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Markes
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Markes is Black at 61.3%. The next largest groups are White (17.1%) and Hispanic (12.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Markes described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Markes at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American61.3% · 133
- White17.1% · 37
- Hispanic or Latino12.4% · 27
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.7% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.2% · 7
- Two or more races2.3% · 5
Popularity
Markes: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Markes from the 1930s through to the 2010s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 77 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Markes by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Markes during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Markes
The given name Markes has its origins in ancient Greece, where it was derived from the Greek word "markos," meaning "consecrated to the god Mars." This name gained popularity during the Roman period, as Mars was the Roman god of war and an important figure in their mythology.
In ancient Rome, the name Markes was often associated with soldiers and military leaders. It was a symbolic name, representing strength, courage, and valor on the battlefield. Some of the earliest known individuals with this name were Roman legionaries who fought in various campaigns across Europe and the Mediterranean region.
One of the first recorded instances of the name Markes can be found in the writings of the Roman historian Livy, who mentioned a centurion named Markes Valerius serving under the command of Scipio Africanus during the Second Punic War (218-201 BC).
During the Middle Ages, the name Markes spread throughout Europe and underwent various spelling variations, such as Marcus, Markus, and Marcas, depending on the region and language. It was a popular name among Christian families, as it was believed to have connections to the biblical figure Mark the Evangelist.
One notable individual with the name Markes was Markes of Lindau (c. 1090-1153), a German theologian and chronicler who wrote extensively about the history of his time. Another prominent figure was Markes Musurus (c. 1470-1517), a Greek scholar and humanist who played a significant role in the revival of Greek learning during the Renaissance.
In the 16th century, the name Markes gained prominence in England, where it was often associated with the Puritan movement. One notable Englishman with this name was Markes Greenwood (1530-1591), a Puritan preacher and one of the earliest Protestant martyrs during the reign of Queen Mary I.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the name Markes continued to be used across Europe, with individuals such as Markes Zuerius von Boxhorn (1612-1653), a Dutch scholar and critic, and Markes Necker (1736-1819), a French statesman and finance minister under Louis XVI.
In the 19th century, the name Markes gained popularity in the United States, where it was often given to individuals of various backgrounds. One notable American with this name was Markes Delahay (1836-1923), a Union soldier and Medal of Honor recipient during the American Civil War.
People
Markes + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Markes as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Markes: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Markes?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 145 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Markes going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 2,363,823 US residents.
Is Markes a common name?
We classify Markes as "Very Rare". It ranks above 69.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 153 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Markes most popular?
The single biggest year for Markes was 1994, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Markes is about 29 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Markes in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 217 people with the name Markes, or 0.07 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #36,520 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Markes in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Markes?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Markes leans strongly male. 212 people counted with this name were male (98.6%), compared with 3 female bearers (1.4%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Markes?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Markes is Black at 61.3%. The next largest groups are White (17.1%) and Hispanic (12.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Markes most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Markes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 61.3% (133 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Markes in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Markes a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Markes in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Markes still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Markes in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Markes can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people have the name Markes?
For a quick modern take, check how many people share the name Markes on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.