Boys' name · since 1880
Marcus
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 241,657 babies named Marcus, peaking in 1984. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #162 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #258 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 241,657
- born since 1880
- 1980s
- peak decade
Yes -- Marcus is the #258 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 241,657 recorded since 1880.
Marcus has 241,657 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #258 as of the latest data, more common than 98% of boys, busiest in the 1980s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #162 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #258 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 241,657 born since 1880
- 1980s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Marcus ranks #162 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #258 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 241,657 born since 1880, peaking in the 1980s.
- #162 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #258 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 241,657
- born since 1880
- 1980s
- peak decade
Marcus's 241,657 recorded births place it above 99.64% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.
How Marcus compares
241,657 Top 2% higher than 98% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Marcus's all-time total is 655x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Marcus | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 241,657 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 5,996 | 34 | 22,252 |
Marcus's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Marcus splits its recorded history at 1953: 94% of all births land in the more recent half, 6% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1887 (23 births) -- compare that against the 1984 peak of 5,996 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Marcus popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1984)
- 5,996
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Marcus popularity over time - girls
1,342 total births recorded since 1917 (Marcus as girls' name)
Marcus by decade
1980s is the heaviest window (51,807 births, 21% of the file).
1980s was Marcus's strongest decade.
51,807 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 21% of all-time use.
Marcus births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 424
1880s
424 births
- 1890s 405
1890s
405 births
- 1900s 482
1900s
482 births
- 1910s 2,051
1910s
2,051 births
- 1920s 3,029
1920s
3,029 births
- 1930s 2,298
1930s
2,298 births
- 1940s 3,266
1940s
3,266 births
- 1950s 8,694
1950s
8,694 births
- 1960s 14,545
1960s
14,545 births
- 1970s
1970s
39,464 births
- 1980s
1980s
51,807 births
- 1990s
1990s
46,497 births
- 2000s
2000s
35,673 births
- 2010s
2010s
24,143 births
- 2020s 8,879
2020s
8,879 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 51,807 births (21% of all-time use).
How Marcus compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Marcus's total volume
Marcus by state
Where Marcus concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 23,675 | 9.8% |
| #2 | California | | 23,428 | 9.7% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 12,012 | 5.0% |
| #4 | New York | | 11,783 | 4.9% |
| #5 | Florida | | 11,670 | 4.8% |
| #6 | Georgia | | 11,372 | 4.7% |
| #7 | Ohio | | 9,575 | 4.0% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 8,703 | 3.6% |
23,675 of 241,657 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Marcus appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Marcus? ▼
Where does Marcus sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Marcus most popular? ▼
Where is Marcus most popular? ▼
How long has the name Marcus been used? ▼
What names are similar to Marcus? ▼
What to do with Marcus's data
- Marcus's decade-level peak was the 1980s (51,807 total births); usage has since declined to 8,879 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Marcuss (23,675 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Marcus
Nearby Names Like Marcus
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Marcus
Compare Marcus side by side: Marcus vs Mark Marcus vs Martin Marcus vs Marvin
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Marcus
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Marcus: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1984)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Marcus draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.