Markiest
An invented name with no definitive meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Markiest. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Markiest today is around 36 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Markiest births was 1988 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Markiest. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Markiest. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
1988
6 babies that year
Average age
36
years old
1990 SSA rank
#9,006
Tracked since 1988
Popularity
Markiest: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Markiest from the 1980s through to the 1990s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 6 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Markiest 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 Markiest 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 Markiest
The name Markiest traces its origins back to the ancient Germanic tribes that roamed across central Europe during the early centuries of the first millennium. It is believed to have been derived from the Proto-Germanic word "markan", which meant "boundary" or "border". This name likely originated as a descriptive term for someone who lived near a frontier or boundary region.
In the early medieval period, the name began appearing in various transcribed records and documents across the Frankish and Burgundian kingdoms. One of the earliest known individuals with this name was Markiest of Burgundy, a minor nobleman who lived in the late 6th century. His name is mentioned in several charters and land grants from the reign of King Guntram.
As the name spread across Europe during the Middle Ages, it underwent various spelling variations, such as "Marchiest", "Markyst", and "Markyest". One notable bearer of the name was Markiest the Scribe, a monk from the Benedictine abbey of St. Gallen in modern-day Switzerland, who lived in the early 9th century. He is credited with transcribing and preserving several important works of Latin literature.
In the 11th century, a knight named Markiest of Normandy accompanied William the Conqueror during the Norman invasion of England in 1066. He is mentioned in the famous Domesday Book, a survey of landholdings commissioned by William I, as holding estates in Wiltshire.
During the Renaissance period, the name Markiest gained prominence in parts of Italy and the Holy Roman Empire. One of the most famous individuals with this name was Markiest Alberti, a Venetian merchant and diplomat who lived from 1428 to 1498. He played a crucial role in negotiating trade agreements between Venice and the Ottoman Empire.
Another notable bearer of the name was Markiest von Hatzfeldt, a German nobleman and military commander who fought in the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648). He served under the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II and was rewarded with lands and titles for his loyalty and bravery on the battlefield.
People
Markiest + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Markiest 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
Markiest: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Markiest?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Markiest 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 31,159,485 US residents.
Is Markiest a common name?
We classify Markiest as "Very Rare". It ranks above 30.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Markiest most popular?
The single biggest year for Markiest was 1988, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Markiest is about 36 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Markiest in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Markiest a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Markiest 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 Markiest still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Markiest 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 Markiest 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are named Markiest?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.