Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Marc

Marc is the French and Welsh spelling of Mark, which itself is an anglicized form of the Latin masculine name Marcus (also one of the most ancient of Old Roman forenames). In fact, back in antiquity and the classical era, Marcus was one of only a dozen or so given names used for boys. The etymological origin of the name is not certain. It likely comes from one of two places. The first is Mars, the Roman god of war and perhaps means “consecrated to the god Mars” and thus Marcus was an byname used to signify a warrior. The second is from the Latin adjective “mas” meaning “male, virile” which connects nicely with Mars anyway. Mark is also the name of the Evangelist and author of the second gospel in the New Testament which is the main source of the name’s popularity in the English-speaking world. Lastly, in Irish mythology, King Mark was the ruler of Cornwall from the Arthurian legend of Tristan and Isolde (for more information, see Tristan). From this perspective, the origin of the name Marc is Celtic and derived from “marc(h)” meaning “steed, horse”. Mark has been around since medieval times but did not gain any serious usage until the 17th century. Aside from Marc being considered the French and Welsh spelling of Mark, it is also used among Spanish speakers (although not as much as Marcos). In fact, in 2010 Marc was the #1 boy’s name in Catalonia, Spain!

All About the Baby Name – Marc

Personality

OF THE BOY NAME MARC

The number Eight personality has everything to do with power, wealth and abundance. Somehow, this personality has been blessed on the material plane, but their authoritative and problem-solving traits provide evidence that their good fortunes are not just the luck of the lottery. They are well earned. This is the personality of CEOs and high-ranking military personnel. Eights are intensely active, hard-driving individuals. Success is only meaningful to them after a job well-done.  They are remarkable in their ability to see the larger picture right down to the smallest details, and organize a strategy around success. They then have the ability to direct a group around them toward any goal, and realize individual potential to get the most out of their team.

Popularity

OF THE BOY NAME MARC

Marc first appeared on the American male naming charts in 1932 in response the growing popularity of Mark (which hit the Top 100 list in 1944). While the spelling of Marc has not been as popular as Mark, he has shadowed his older brother on the charts relatively well. Marc even reached the Top 100 list of most commonly used boy names between 1968 and 1976 (during the same period, Mark was a Top 15 choice). Mark is the preferred spelling of this name among English speakers, but Marc is almost as familiar. It’s got a slight European edge over the more common Mark and makes us think more globally. There are impressive name bearers such as with Marc Chagall (the Belarusian-Jewish artist) to Marc Jacobs (the NYC fashion designer) to Marc Anthony (the Puerto Rican-American singer). It just comes down to a matter of spelling preference. Whether you prefer Mark or Marc, both names have a strong, one-syllable rather “manly” sound. Interestingly, the original Roman Marcus is the most popular form of the “Mark” names today. You could always go with the more formal Marcus and use Marc as a nickname.

Quick Facts

ON MARC

GENDER:

Boy

ORIGIN:

French

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

1

RANKING POPULARITY:

648

PRONUNCIATION:

MAHRK

SIMPLE MEANING:

Warrior, manly/virile; or steed/horse

Characteristics

OF MARC

Authoritative

Powerful

Tough

Tenacious

Wealthy

Problem-solver

Achiever

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Marc

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME MARC

We cannot find any significant literary characters by the name of Marc

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME MARC

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Marc


Popular Songs

ON MARC

We cannot find any popular or well-known songs with the name of Marc


Famous People

NAMED MARC

Marc Chagall (artist)
Marc Anthony (musician)
Marc Jacobs (fashion designer)
Marc Blucas (actor)
Marc Brown (children’s book author)
Marc Gené (Catalonian racecar driver)
Marc Gasol (basketball player)
Marc Nelson (singer)

Children of Famous People

NAMED MARC

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Marc

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME MARC

Marc Chagall was one of the most important artists of the early 20th century modern art movement. Born in 1887 to a modest working-class Jewish family in Belarus (then part of the Russian Empire), Marc Chagall’s birth name was actually Moishe Shagal. The oldest of nine children, Chagall made his way to St. Petersburg as a young adult to study painting. In his early 20s he lived in Paris and became acquainted with his contemporary avant-garde artists of the day (including Picasso). Before the outbreak of WWI he returned home, got married and tried without success to work within the confines of the Marxist society now in control of Russia. After returning to Paris, Chagall was forced to flee France as anti-Semitic Germany invaded, eventually making his way to America in 1941. As an early modernist, Chagall produced artistic creations in virtually every conceivable medium of art: paintings, murals, stained glass, ceramics, illustrations, stage sets and costumes. Not only was he on the front end of the modernist movement, but Chagall is often considered one of the most important Jewish artists finding inspiration from his early beginnings in Eastern European and the Jewish culture within his native village. Pablo Picasso once remarked: “When Matisse dies, Chagall will be the only painter left who understands what color really is.”