Mark

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[edit] ORIGIN AND HISTORY

The name Mark originates as an English variation of the name “Marcus.” The name is believed to be of Latin origin meaning “dedicated to Mars.”

In the New Testament of the Bible, John Mark was an apostle and author of the second Gospel. He is the patron saint of Venice.

[edit] POPULARITY

According to the 1990 United States Census ^[1], Mark ranked as the 14th most popular male first name, the 1,548th most popular female first name and the 2,538th most popular last name. In the United States, the name ranked in the Top 1,000 most popular boy's names every decade since 1880.

According to the Social Security Administration ^[2], in the 21st century, the name ranked in the Top 200 most popular boy's names every year from 2000 (79th) through 2006 (129th).

United States Popularity of the boy 's name Mark in the 21st Century:

• Year: 2006 Rank:129th
• Year: 2005 Rank:114th
• Year: 2004 Rank:113th
• Year: 2003 Rank:105th
• Year: 2002 Rank:93rd
• Year: 2001 Rank:84th
• Year: 2000 Rank:79th

[edit] FACTS

• Days are celebrated in honor of the name Mark or people bearing the name Mark by Hungary (April 25th), Ukraine (April 25th and August 9th), Estonia (April 25th) and the Catholic Church (Various Days). ^[3]
• “Mark” is a given first name of offspring of celebrities Dan Aykroyd, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Gordie Howe, Mike Ditka, Rex Allen, Sammy Davis Jr., Tom Jones and Tug Mcgraw. ^[4]
• A “mark” used to be a unit of money in Germany, as well as other European countries.

[edit] NAMESAKES

• “King Mark” is a character in 12th century romantic tragedy “Tristan and Isolde.” ^[5]
• Roman politician and general “Mark Antony” (aka Marcus Antonius) has his story told in the Shakespearean play “Antony and Cleopatra” and also appears in “Julius Caesar” by William Shakespeare.

[edit] FAMOUS PERSONS

• Mark Twain (born Samuel Langhorne Clemens) - Famous 19th and 20th American author who penned such works as "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" and "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer." ^[6]
• Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg – Film and television actor who was nominated for an Academy Award (Oscar) for “Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role” for his role in the 2006 movie “The Departed.” He was also nominated for an Emmy Award for “Outstanding Comedy Series” for his collaborative production effort on the HBO television show “Entourage” in 2007, on which he is executive producer. ^[7]
• Sir Marc Aurel Stein – Hungarian archaeologist and professor of the 19th and 20th centuries who discovered the Diamond Sutra at the Caves of the Thousand Buddhas, along with many other discoveries. ^[8]

[edit] NOTES

1. ↑ http://www.census.gov/genealogy/www/namesearch.html
2. ↑ http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/
3. ↑ http://www.yeahbaby.com/name-days-saints-day.php?name=Mark
4. ↑ http://www.yeahbaby.com/celebrity-baby-names.php?name=Mark
5. ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tristan_and_Isolde
6. ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Twain
7. ↑ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000242/
8. ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marc_Aurel_Stein

Author: Rich Kachold