Mark, a shortened form or nickname of Marcus, is believed to be derived from the Roman name Mars, referring to the god of war in Roman mythology. It spent much of the early 1900s in the Social Security Administration's top-225 before seeing a boom in the 1940s. It was a top-100 boy's name from 1944 up until 2002, including a 16-year span in the top-10 between 1955 and 1970, but has since fallen out of the top-250, as of 2023. Though not by much, American parents today tend to prefer Marcus over Mark.
