US rank #246 Boys' name Peak 1960 1,360,769 births

Mark — #246 US boys' name

1,360,769 babies named Mark in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1960. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s9281890s9531900s9711910s41341920s64951930s74441940s507311950s3825851960s4413811970s1942881980s1294601990s758152000s372562010s211052020s7223
#246
of 14,243 boys in use

More common than 98% of names given to boys today.

1960s
Peak decade

32% of everyone ever named Mark was born in this single decade.

1960
Single peak year

58,719 babies were named Mark in 1960 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Mark

The Social Security Administration has registered 1,360,769 babies named Mark between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a boy's name, Mark currently holds the #246 rank among boys for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1960, when 58,719 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Mark performed strongest in the 1960s, accumulating 441,381 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Mark shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in California, which accounts for 132,281 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by New York and Ohio. In total, SSA state-level files list Mark in 51 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Mark in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 1,360,769 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Mark at a glance

Top 1,000 boys' name

Total births

1,360,769

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1960

58,719 births that year

Strongest decade: 1960s

Current rank

#246

Among boys

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Mark popularity over time — boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880

Top 1,000 boys' name
Peak year (1960)
58,719
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-20,000020,00040,00060,00080,000 202420051986196719481929191018911880 85

Mark popularity over time — girls

4,496 total births recorded since 1892 (Mark as girls' name)

Unisex variant — 4,496 births
-50050100150200 202319971983196919551940192419081892 5

Mark by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1960s
Peak decade
1960s
441,381 births that decade — 32% of Mark's all-time total
1880s9281890s9531900s9711910s41341920s64951930s74441940s507311950s3825851960s4413811970s1942881980s1294601990s758152000s372562010s211052020s7223

Mark by state

Where Mark concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Mark
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 California
132,281 9.7%
#2 New York
105,983 7.8%
#3 Ohio
85,733 6.3%
#4 Pennsylvania
84,521 6.2%
#5 Illinois
79,808 5.9%
#6 Michigan
74,001 5.4%
#7 Texas
72,286 5.3%
#8 Massachusetts
46,876 3.4%
California share of Mark's total US births 9.7%
Even split

132,281 of 1,360,769 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.

Mark appears in 51 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Mark?
1,360,769 babies have been named Mark since 1880. It currently ranks #246 among boys. The peak year was 1960 with 58,719 births.
When was Mark most popular?
Mark was most popular in the 1960s decade with 441,381 total births. The single peak year was 1960.
Where is Mark most popular?
The top states for the name Mark are California (132,281 births), New York (105,983 births), Ohio (85,733 births).
How long has the name Mark been used?
Mark has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Mark?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Martin, Marvin, Marcus, Mario, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

Keep exploring Mark

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Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.