Mark is a common male name and is related to the Latin word Mars. It means "consecrated to the god Mars", and also may mean "God of war" or "to be warlike". Marcus was one of the three most common Roman given names. It is also used as a short form of Martin, a name which is either also of Latin origin and also meaning "warlike", or derived from Proto-Germanic elements "mar", meaning "famous" and "tank", meaning "thought", "counsel".
Meaning and history Mark is a form of the name Marcus. Mark the Evangelist is the traditionally ascribed eponymous author of the second Gospel in the New Testament. He is the patron saint of Venice, where he is supposedly buried. Though in use during the Middle Ages, Mark was not common in the English-speaking world until the 19th century, when it began to be used alongside the classical form Marcus.
In the Celtic legend of Tristan and Isolde, this was the name of a king of Cornwall. It was also borne by the American author Mark Twain (1835–1910, real name Samuel Clemens), the author of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. He took his pen name from a call used by riverboat workers on the Mississippi River to indicate a depth of two fathoms. This is also the usual English spelling of the name of the 1st-century BC Roman triumvir Marcus Antonius (Mark Antony).Behind the Name - Mark
In other languages
Academics Mark Adler (born 1959), American software engineer Mark Azadovsky (1888–1954), Russian scholar of folktales and Russian literature Mark Benecke (born 1970), German forensic biologist Mark Blaug (1927–2011), Dutch-born British economist Mark Boslough, American physicist, Mark Buchanan (born 1961), American physicist Mark Catesby (1682–1749), English naturalist Mark Wayne Chase (born 1951), American-born British botanist Mark R. Cohen (born 1943), American scholar of Jewish history Mark Dean (computer scientist) (born 1957), American inventor and a computer engineer Mark Fettes (born 1961), Canadian Esperantist Mark Fisher (theorist) (1968–2017), British cultural theorist and philosopher Mark Frigo, American economist Mark Z. Jacobson (born 1965), American civil and environmental engineer Mark Jerrum (born 1955), British computer scientist and computational theorist Mark Lilla (born 1956), American political scientist and philosopher Mark van Loosdrecht (born 1959), Dutch biotechnologist Mark Mazower (born 1958), British historian Mark P. McCahill (born 1956), American computer scientist and internet pioneer Mark Borisovich Mitin (1901–1987), Soviet Marxist-Leninist philosopher Mark Oliphant (1901–2000), Australian physicist and humanitarian Mark Overmars (born 1958), Dutch computer scientist, creator of Game Maker Mark Pattison (academic) (1813–1884), English educational reformer and Rector of Lincoln College, Oxford Mark Ptashne (born 1940), American molecular biologist Mark Ridley (zoologist) (born 1956), British zoologist and writer on evolution Mark Satin (born 1946), American political theorist Mark Sedgwick (born 1960), British historian Mark R. Showalter (born 1957), American astronomer Mark Solonin (born 1958), Russian WWII historian Mark Steedman (born 1946), British computational linguist and cognitive scientist Mark van Vugt (born 1967), Dutch evolutionary psychologist Mark Waer (born 1951), Belgian biomedical scientist and university president Mark Wainberg (1945–2017), Canadian HIV/AIDS researcher and activist Mark Walport (born 1953), British medical scientist Mark Weiser (1952–1999), American chief scientist at Xerox PARC Mark Zborowski (1908–1990), American anthropologist and Soviet spy
Acting Mark Addy, English actor Mark Atkinson, American actor Mark Benton, English actor Mark Burg (born 1959), American film and television producer Mark Consuelos, American actor Mark Dexter, English actor Mark Eden, English actor Mark Famiglietti, American actor and screenwriter Mark Fischbach, American YouTuber, podcaster and actor Mark Hamill, American actor Mark Harmon, American actor, producer and director Mark Herras, Filipino actor Mark Gatiss, English actor, comedian, screenwriter, producer and director Mark Indelicato, American actor Mark Lamarr, English actor and screenwriter Mark LaMura (1948–2017), American actor Mark Lenard, American actor Mark Linn-Baker, American actor Mark McKinney (born 1959), Canadian actor and comedian Mark McManus (1935–1994), Scottish actor Mark Miller (1924–2022), American stage and television actor and writer Mark Pellegrino, American actor, best known as Jacob in Lost Mark Proksch, American actor and impersonator, known for On Cinema and What We Do in the Shadows Mark Rendall, voice actor and actor Mark Robson (film director) (1913–1978), American film director Mark Rosenblatt, British director and writer Mark Ruffalo, American actor Mark Rylance, English actor Mark Salling (1982–2018), American actor who was best known for playing Noah Puckerman on Glee Mark Samaranayake (1914–2000), Sri Lankan Sinhala cinema and stage actor Mark Seibert, German musical theatre actor Mark A. Sheppard, actor best known as Crowley on Supernatural Mark Allen Shepherd, actor Marc Singer, American actor known for his role as Beastmaster and starring in the mini-series V Mark Strickson, English actor Mark Sinclair (better known as Vin Diesel), American actor, writer, director and producer Mark Wahlberg (born 1971), actor, previously known as musician Marky Mark Mark Williams (actor), British actor, comedian and scriptwriter Mark Womack (British actor) (born 1960) Mark Zakharov, Russian director and screenwriter
Arts Mark Heyes, British fashion presenter Mark Kermode, film critic Mark Kostabi, Estonian-American artist Mark Rothko, abstract-expressionist painter Mark Ryden, pop-surrealist painter Mark Samuels, choreographer, and dancer Mark Steel, British satirical comedian Mark Tobey, American abstract expressionist painter Mark Tompkins (dancer), artist, dancer and choreographer of contemporary dance Mark Tremonti, American musician and singer, in rock bands Alter Bridge, Tremonti and founding member of Creed
Business Mark Clouse (born 1968), Washington Commanders team president Mark Cuban, American entrepreneur Mark Ein (born 1964), American entrepreneur Mark Leiter (businessman), Executive Vice President at Nielsen Mark Loughridge, Vice-President of IBM Mark Mobius (1936–2026), American-born German emerging markets fund manager Mark Morton (businessman), co-founder of Morton Salt Mark Rocket, New Zealand businessman, tech and aerospace entrepreneur Mark Shepherd (businessman), chairman and chief executive officer of Texas Instruments Mark Shuttleworth, South African entrepreneur Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook
Christianity Mark the Evangelist, one of the gospel writers of the life of Jesus Marcus I of Byzantium, bishop of Byzantium from 198 to 211 AD Pope Mark, pope of the Catholic Church Mark Ibn Kunbar, twelfth-century Coptic priest and preacher Mark of Ephesus, 15th century Archbishop of Ephesus, Opponent of the Union of Florence Patriarch Mark II of Constantinople, reigned from 1465 to 1466
Literature Mark Z. Danielewski (born 1966), American novelist Mark Lynas, British author, journalist and environmental activist Mark Mulvoy, American sports journalist and writer Mark Shepherd (novelist), author of several novels in the fantasy genre Mark Shulman (author), American children's author Mark Andrew Smith, American graphic novelist Mark Tully (1935–2026), British journalist and writer Mark Twain, pen name of American author Samuel Langhorne Clemens Mark Van Doren, American poet and literary critic Mark Waid, American comic book writer
Music Mark Ambor, American singer-songwriter Mark Andrews (1875−1939), British organist and composer Mark Balderas, keyboardist for the alternative rock band Human Drama Mark Bautista, Filipino singer Mark "Moke" Bistany, former drummer for Otep, Puddle of Mudd and Against All Will Mark Aurelio Cisneros, American multi-instrumentalist, composer, and improviser Mark Farner, American musician Mark Feehily, Irish singer in pop group Westlife Mark Gasser, British concert pianist Mark "Barney" Greenway, singer in British band Napalm Death Mark Hoppus, singer/bassist for the rock bands blink-182 and +44 Mark Jansen, Dutch guitarist, singer, songwriter for Epica Mark Knopfler, British musician, member of Dire Straits, Mark Lanegan, lead singer of American grunge band Screaming Trees Mark Lee, Canadian-Korean rapper of South Korean band NCT Mark Linkous, singer from American band Sparklehorse Mark Lui, Hong Kong composer Mark McClelland, bass guitarist for Little Doses, previously for Snow Patrol Mark McGrath, singer of American rock band Sugar Ray Mark Mendoza, American bass guitarist Mark Morrison (born 1972), German-born British R&B singer Mark Morton (guitarist), guitarist from American band Lamb of God Mark Mothersbaugh, American composer, co-founder of Devo Mark O'Connor, American composer, violinist, guitarist, and mandolinist Mark Owen, British singer-songwriter, member of pop band Take That Mark Peddle, Canadian musician Mark Refoy, guitarist for Spiritualized, Slipstream, Pet Shop Boys Mark Richardson (musician), British musician for Skunk Anansie Mark Ronson, British-American music performer, producer and DJ Mark Sandman, American musician, ex-member of bands Morphine and Treat Her Right Mark Schultz, American contemporary Christian singer Mark Sheehan (1976–2023), guitarist for The Script Mark Slaughter, American musician, singer and songwriter for hard rock band Slaughter Mark Speer, American guitarist and founder of Khruangbin Mark Stoermer, American musician and member of The Killers Mark Stuart (musician), vocals for Christian band Audio Adrenaline Mark Swed, American music critic, chief classical music critic of the Los Angeles Times since 1996 Mark Tuan, American-Taiwanese member of South Korean band GOT7 Mark Vincent, Australian opera singer Marky Mark, American rapper, now goes by Mark Wahlberg Mark Wells (musician), Australian guitarist and musician, ex-member of The Ronnie Wood Band and Twenty Two Hundred
Politics Mark Diamond Addy, Ghanaian politician Mark Antony, Roman politician and general Mark Babin, American politician Mark Blier, American politician Mark Carney, Canadian politician and Prime Minister of Canada Mark Collett, British political activist Mark Dayton, former governor and U.S. senator from Minnesota Mark Demesmaeker, Belgian politician and MEP Mark Eyskens, Belgian economist, Prime Minister of Belgium in 1981 Mark Gidley, Member of the Alabama House of Representatives Mark Grimes, Canadian politician Mark Herring, American politician and current Attorney General of Virginia Mark Kelly, American politician and astronaut; current U.S. senator from Arizona Mark Latham, Australian politician Mark McGowan, Australian politician, Premier of Western Australia Mark Persaud, Canadian lawyer Mark Pollard, Falkland Islands politician Mark Pryor, American lawyer, politician Mark Ricks, American politician Mark Rozzi, 140th Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, current member of the Pennsylvania House of a Representatives Mark Rutte, Dutch politician, Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark M. Shelton, American politician Mark Shepard, Vermont state senator Mark Shirey, member of the Alabama House of Representatives Mark Snoeren, member of the Dutch House of Representatives Mark Spencer, British Member of Parliament Mark Squilla, Philadelphia city councilman Mark Tisdel, Michigan state representative Mark Udall, American politician Mark Verheijen, Dutch politician Mark Villar, Filipino politician and businessman Mark Warner, former governor of and current U.S. senator from Virginia
Sports Mark Alarie (born 1963), American basketball player Mark Allen (snooker player), Northern Irish snooker player Mark Andrews (American football) (born 1996), American football player Mark Beck (born 1994), footballer