Find out how popular the last name Mark is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Mark.

Mark, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Mark surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Mark in America

Mark is the 2537th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Mark surname appeared 14,265 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Mark.

We can also compare 2010 data for Mark to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Mark

The surname MARK is of English origin, derived from the Latin name "Marcus." It was first used as a personal name and later adopted as a surname during the Middle Ages.

The name MARK likely originated from the Roman tradition of using a personal name as a surname. In ancient Rome, the name Marcus was a common praenomen (personal name) given to males. As the practice of using family names became more widespread in Europe, some individuals adopted their personal names as hereditary surnames.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname MARK can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears as "Marcus" in this historical record.

The surname MARK was particularly prevalent in areas of England where Roman influence was strong, such as the counties of Gloucestershire, Somerset, and Wiltshire. Some early records show variations in spelling, including Marke, Marck, and Merke.

Notable historical figures with the surname MARK include:

1. John Mark (c. 5 - c. 85), a companion of the Apostle Paul and author of the Gospel of Mark in the New Testament.
2. Marcus Junius Brutus (85 BC - 42 BC), a Roman senator and one of the assassins of Julius Caesar.
3. John Mark (1693 - 1756), an English composer and organist.
4. Mary Shelley, née Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin (1797 - 1851), married to the English Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley and author of the novel "Frankenstein." Her maiden name was MARK, though she is better known by her married name.
5. Pamela Lyndon Travers (1899 - 1996), an Australian-British novelist and writer, best known for the "Mary Poppins" book series. Her birth name was Helen Lyndon Goff, but she adopted the pen name P.L. Travers, with MARK as her middle name.

The surname MARK has a long history in England and has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including writers, composers, and historical figures. It continues to be a common surname today, with its origins rooted in the Latin tradition of personal names.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Mark

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Mark.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Mark was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Mark has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Mark was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Mark, please contact us.

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