How Many People Are Named Marcus?
An estimated 220,641 people in the United States have the first name Marcus. While not in the top 50, it remains a well-known name ranking #241 overall. It is predominantly male (99.4%). The average bearer is 36 years old, and Marcus peaked in popularity in 1984 with 6,060 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Marcus as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Marcus paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Marcus is overwhelmingly male, 1,342 female births have been registered with this name since 1880.
Estimated Living Americans
220,641
About 1 in 1,553 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Common
Predicted Gender
Male
99.4% confidence
Average Age
36
years old
Peak Year
1984
6,060 births
Total Registered
241,642
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Marcus
Marcus is almost exclusively a male name. Out of 241,642 total births registered, 99.4% were male.
Marcus as a male name
Ranked #256 in 2024
1,376 male births in 2024
Peak: 1984 (5,996 births)
Marcus as a female name
Ranked #16,831 in 2022
5 female births in 2022
Peak: 1983 (67 births)
Marcus: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Marcus span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1980s, when 52,327 babies were registered. Marcus has declined significantly from its peak in the 1980s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Marcus by Decade
How has Marcus tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 424 | 424 | 0 | |
| 1890s | 405 | 405 | 0 | |
| 1900s | 482 | 482 | 0 | |
| 1910s | 2,056 | 2,051 | 5 | |
| 1920s | 3,055 | 3,029 | 26 | |
| 1930s | 2,308 | 2,298 | 10 | |
| 1940s | 3,271 | 3,266 | 5 | |
| 1950s | 8,748 | 8,694 | 54 | |
| 1960s | 14,660 | 14,546 | 114 | |
| 1970s | 39,845 | 39,469 | 376 | |
| 1980s | 52,327 | 51,810 | 517 | |
| 1990s | 46,639 | 46,496 | 143 | |
| 2000s | 35,737 | 35,670 | 67 | |
| 2010s | 24,153 | 24,133 | 20 | |
| 2020s | 7,532 | 7,527 | 5 | |
Marcus by State
Birth registrations for Marcus span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in Texas, California, Illinois. The lowest are in Vermont, Wyoming, New Hampshire. On average, about 4,637 Marcuss were registered per state.
Marcus + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Marcus as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Marcus
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
Marcus: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Marcus?
We estimate approximately 220,641 people named Marcus are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 1,553 Americans share this first name.
Is Marcus a common name?
Marcus is classified as "Common" and is more popular than 99.8% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 241,642 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Marcus most popular?
Marcus reached peak popularity in 1984, when 6,060 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Marcus is approximately 36 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Marcus a male name?
Marcus is predominantly male. 99.4% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Marcus Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Marcus Smith, Marcus Johnson, Marcus Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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