| Marcus | Miles | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Of Mars | Soldier; of debated origin |
| Origin | latin | Latin |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | MAR-kus | MYLZ |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 1984 (5,996) | 2024 (6,634) |
| In 2025 | 1,341 | 6,072 |
| Trend | Declining | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Marcus | Miles |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 8,879 | 35,899 |
| 2010s | 24,143 | 36,601 |
| 2000s | 35,673 | 17,786 |
| 1990s | 46,497 | 9,815 |
| 1980s | 51,807 | 5,672 |
| 1970s | 39,464 | 2,241 |
| 1960s | 14,545 | 2,834 |
| 1950s | 8,694 | 3,174 |
| 1940s | 3,266 | 1,994 |
| 1930s | 2,298 | 1,658 |
| 1920s | 3,029 | 2,337 |
| 1910s | 2,051 | 1,583 |
| 1900s | 482 | 413 |
| 1890s | 405 | 443 |
| 1880s | 424 | 418 |
A Roman praenomen derived from Mars, the Roman god of war; the association is explicitly warlike. The underlying root is otherwise uncertain.
Often linked to the Latin miles, “soldier,” though its ultimate origin is debated.
Miles is more popular than Marcus today: about 6,072 US babies were given the name Miles in 2025, compared with 1,341 named Marcus.
Marcus means Of Mars (latin origin), while Miles means Soldier; of debated origin (Latin origin).
In US records, Marcus first appears in 1880 and Miles in 1880, so Marcus has the longer recorded history.