Jamarcus

Jamarcus is an invented name of African-American origin. Similar to Demarcus or Lamarcus, Jamarcus is essentially a spin on Marcus. Marcus is the original Latin form of the name Mark, and it’s one of the oldest, most successful of all ancient Roman forenames. In fact, more than 2,000 years ago, Marcus was one of only a dozen or so praenomens (i.e., first names) used for boys on the Italian peninsula. For instance, Marcus Antonius (Mark Antony) who lived in the first century B.C. was a notable name bearer. After Julius Caesar’s assassination in 44 B.C., Antony joined together with Octavian and Lepidus to form the Second Triumvirate. This political alliance would later collapse when Octavian defeated Antony and Cleopatra at the Battle of Actium (31 B.C.). Shortly thereafter Marcus Antonius and Cleopatra committed suicide. In the 2nd century Roman Empire, Marcus Aurelius, considered a philosopher-king and symbolizing much of what was good about Roman civilization, was the last of the “Five Good Emperors”. The etymology or meaning behind Marcus is not entirely certain, but most likely it’s derieved from Mars, the Roman god of war. The name’s popularity among African-Americans starting in the 1970s was mainly influenced by the early 20th century Jamaican orator and pro-Black Nationalist, Marcus Garvey. Embellishments on the name would later take hold – such as Demarcus, Jamarcus and Lamarcus. Jamarcus is also often rendered as JaMarcus.