Marcus is a masculine given name of Ancient Roman pre-Christian origin derived either from Etruscan Marce of unknown meaning or referring to the god Mars. Mars was identified as the Roman god of War.
The name is popular in Europe, particularly in Sweden, Norway, Italy and Germany, and increasingly, in the Netherlands. It is also popular in English language countries, although less common than the shortened variation 'Mark', associated with the Gospel writer Mark the Evangelist. There are other variants. Marcus ranks in the top 100 most popular boy names in Australia, Canada, England, Scotland, Sweden, and Wales since the 1990s, as well as the top 200 most popular boy names in the US since the 1960s.
Marcus developed as a patronymic or toponymic surname in Italy, southern France, and Spain around 1000 A.D., attributable to religious monasteries and sanctuaries named Sanctus Marcus (or its many variants). The surname was used as an identifier for the area of origin. The first historical record of the surname was in the year 1390 in Biberach an der Riß, Germany.
People with the name Marcus or its variants include:
Given name
Arts and entertainment
In art and literature
Marcus Gheeraerts the Elder, Flemish artist
Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger, Flemish artist
Marcus Harvey, British artist
Marcus Jansen, American painter.
In television and film
Marcus Brigstocke, British comedian
Marcus Chang, Taiwanese actor and singer-songwriter
Marcus Dillistone, British film director
Marcus Carl Franklin, American actor
Marcus Toji, American actor
In music
Marcus Adoro (born 1971), Philippine musician
Marcus Collins (born 1988), runner-up on The X Factor 2011
Marcus Ramone Cooper, a former member of the Miami, Florida R&B group Pretty Ricky Markus Feehily, lead vocalist of Irish pop vocal band Westlife Marcus Gunnarsen, member of Norwegian Pop Duo Marcus & Martinus Markus Grosskopf, bass player for the German power metal band Helloween Marcus Hopson, rapper, hook singer, music video director, and hip hop producer Markus James, current bassist for the rock group Breaking Benjamin Markus Kaarlonen, Finnish musician, songwriter, and producer Markus Löffel, disc jockey, musician and producer from Frankfurt am Main, Germany Marcus Miller, American bassist and clarinetist Marcus Mumford, singer, songwriter for Mumford and Sons Marcus Paus, Norwegian composer Markus Schulz, German trance music DJ and producer who currently resides in Miami, Florida, USA Marcus Siepen (born 1968), German guitarist in Blind Guardian Markus Stockhausen, German trumpeter and composer Markus Stopholese, American rock guitarist Marcus Cabais (born 2009), Filipino singer, dancer and member of Filipino global pop group Hori7on
In fictional characters
Marcus, a paladin from the video games Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade and its prequel, Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade Marcus, a vampire from the Twilight Saga Marcus (Ninjago), a character in Ninjago Marcus Barnes, a fictional character from The Electric Company Marcus Brody, a fictional character from The Last Crusade Marcus Burnett, a fictional police officer from the Bad Boys films Marcus Tullius Cicero (Rome character), a historical figure who features as a character in the HBO/BBC2 television series Rome Marcus Cole, a character in the novel and Netflix series 13 Reasons Why Marcus Cole (Babylon 5), fictional character in Babylon 5 Marcus Corvinus, the protagonist in David Wishart's historical detective novels. Also the name of a primary antagonist in the Underworld films Marcus Didius Falco, the protagonist in Lindsey Davis Ancient Rome historical mystery fictions Marcus Fenix, the primary protagonist from the Gears of War video game series Marcus Flint, Slytherin House Quidditch Team captain in the Harry Potter series Marcus Johnson, the alias of a Marvel Comics character and son of Nick Fury Marcus Ray, main character in Knock Off (film) Markus, one of the three android protagonists of the videogame Detroit: Become Human