How common is the surname Mark?

14,265 people in the United States had the surname Mark in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 21,644 Americans. It ranked 2,537th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Mark?

Mary Ellen Mark, American photographer (1940–2015), followed by Russell Mark.

Where is the surname Mark most common?

Wikidata records people named Mark in the United States, Australia and the Russian Empire.

How do you pronounce Mark?

Mark is /mɑɹk/, one syllable.

Is the surname Mark getting more or less common?

Less common. 15,916 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 14,265 in 2010, down 10%.

Is Mark also a first name?

Yes. Mark is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Mark

A surname, carried by 14,265 people in the United States.

Pronounced /mɑɹk/ 1 syllable Soundex M620 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Mark is more common than 98.4% of them.

Origin

From Middle English Mark, from the Latin praenomen (i.e. first name) Mārcus, derived from Mārs, the Roman god of war, originally Māvors, from Proto-Italic *Māwortis.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 14,265 people named Mark in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 21,644 Americans. That is down 10% since 2000, when the Census counted 15,916.

#2,537

rank among US surnames

14,265

people in 2010

4.8

per 100,000 Americans

-10.4%

change since 2000 (was #2,091)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#2,528	Barger	14,324	21,554
#2,529	Alley	14,323	21,556
#2,530	Oswald	14,322	21,557
#2,531	Stoddard	14,317	21,565
#2,532	McDonnell	14,309	21,577
#2,533	Shelley	14,300	21,591
#2,534	Newcomb	14,292	21,603

Who is named Mark

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

65% of people named Mark identified as white (not Hispanic), 15% as Black (not Hispanic) and 11% as Asian and Pacific Islander.

White (not Hispanic) 65%
Black (not Hispanic) 15%
Asian and Pacific Islander 11%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 3.3%
Two or more races 2.5%
American Indian and Alaska Native 2.5%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Marks

9 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Mary Ellen Mark
American photographer (1940–2015)
Russell Mark
Australian sport shooter, born 1964
Bob Mark
Australian tennis player, 1937–2006
Herman F. Mark
Austrian American chemist (1895–1992)
Heidi Mark
American playmate and actress, born 1971
Michael Mark
American actor (1886-1975)
Flip Mark
American former child actor, born 1948
Hans Mark
American government official, 1929–2021
Laurence Mark
American film producer (born 1949)

Notable Marks come mostly from the United States (6), Australia (2) and the Russian Empire (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Mark

Mark has the Soundex code M620, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code M620.

Questions

Where does the surname Mark come from?: From Middle English Mark, from the Latin praenomen (i.e. first name) Mārcus, derived from Mārs, the Roman god of war, originally Māvors, from Proto-Italic *Māwortis.
How common is the surname Mark?: 14,265 people in the United States had the surname Mark in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 21,644 Americans. It ranked 2,537th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Mark?: In the 2010 Census, 65% of people named Mark identified as white (not Hispanic), and 15% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Mark?: Mary Ellen Mark, American photographer (1940–2015), followed by Russell Mark.
Where is the surname Mark most common?: Wikidata records people named Mark in the United States, Australia and the Russian Empire.
How do you pronounce Mark?: Mark is /mɑɹk/, one syllable.
Is the surname Mark getting more or less common?: Less common. 15,916 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 14,265 in 2010, down 10%.
Is Mark also a first name?: Yes. Mark is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.