Mark (given name)
Mark is a common male given name.
The name originates from Latin: a Roman clan name (Marcius) and first name (Marcus) associated with the Roman god of war, Mars. It is usually said to mean "martial" or "great warrior". A similar form is Marcellus, or "little Mark", which gives names such as the French Marcel and the Italian Marcello. A symbolic meaning of the word can also be derived from ancient contexts. The name became popular among Christians because of Mark the Evangelist.
In the thirteenth century, the Venetian Croat Marco Polo visited the court of Kublai Khan and brought back the first accurate description of China. The name was introduced in England about the same time, but it was seldom used until the 1800s, when it was adopted in Britain and the United States.
The widely known American author Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) took his pen name not from Mark but from an expression used by Mississippi riverboat pilots. It dropped from fashion early the 20th century, but then in the 1960s it began a strong revival.
Variations of the name Mark: Marc, Marco (Italian), Marcos (Spanish).
Famous people named Mark
- Mark the Evangelist, one of the gospel writers of the life of Jesus. Mark is said to have traveled to Italy, and the name has always been popular there, especially in Venice, where the famous St. Mark's Basilica is located.
- Marc Andreessen, technology entrepreneur
- Mark Antony, Roman politician and general
- Mark Calaway, a professional wrestler who wrestles under the stage name "Undertaker"
- Marc Chagall, artist
- Mark David Chapman, assassin of John Lennon
- Mark Cuban, American entrepreneur
- Mark Dayton, US Senator from Minnesota
- Mark Farner, American musician
- W. Mark Felt, American FBI official known as "Deep Throat"
- Mark Hamill, actor known for role as Luke Skywalker in Star Wars
- Mark Hoppus, former bassist/singer for the rock band blink-182
- Mark Johnson, American professor of philosophy
- Mark Knopfler, British musician
- Mark Latham, Australian politician
- Mark Lenard, American actor
- Mark McGwire, American baseball player
- Markos Moulitsas Zúniga, political blogger
- Marco Polo, Venetian explorer
- Mark Reese, heir to the Reese enterprise
- Mark Rothko, expressionist painter
- Mark Shuttleworth, South African entrepreneur
- Mark Spitz, Olympic swimmer
- Mark Twain, aka Samuel Clemens, American author
- Mark Wahlberg, actor
- Mark Warner, former Governor of Virginia
- Mark Paul Michael David Zahra, Famous Canadian Economist