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

Markus, 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 Markus surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Markus in America

Markus is the 8968th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Markus surname appeared 3,649 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Markus.

We can also compare 2010 data for Markus 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 Markus

The surname Markus is derived from the Latin name Marcus, which itself is derived from the Roman name Mars, the god of war. The name originated in ancient Rome and later spread throughout Europe during the Roman Empire's expansion.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Markus can be traced back to the 5th century AD in various Germanic regions of Europe. It was commonly used as a first name during this period and eventually evolved into a surname in some areas.

In the Middle Ages, the name Markus was particularly prevalent in regions of modern-day Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. It appeared in several historical records, including the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of medieval Saxon documents from the 9th to the 13th centuries.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Markus was Johannes Markus, a German mathematician and astronomer who lived in the 15th century (c. 1435-1506). He is known for his contributions to the development of the Ephemerides, a critical astronomical work of the time.

Another notable figure was Georg Markus, a German theologian and reformer who lived during the 16th century (c. 1510-1574). He played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation and was a close associate of Martin Luther.

In the 17th century, the name Markus was particularly prominent in the city of Nuremberg, Germany. One notable individual from this period was Johann Paul Markus (1638-1692), a prominent Baroque painter and engraver known for his religious works.

Moving into the 18th century, we find Johann Gottfried Markus (1717-1784), a German theologian and philosopher who made significant contributions to the field of ethics and moral philosophy.

In the 19th century, one of the most notable individuals with the surname Markus was Adolph Markus (1838-1904), a German-American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Markus Spiegel Company, one of the earliest mail-order businesses in the United States.

While the surname Markus has its roots in ancient Rome and the Latin language, it has been widely adopted and used throughout Europe, particularly in German-speaking regions, over the course of many centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Markus

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

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 Markus 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 Markus 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 Markus was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!