| Marcus | Silas | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Of Mars | Of the forest |
| Origin | latin | Latin |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | MAR-kus | SY-lus |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 1984 (5,996) | 2025 (4,639) |
| In 2025 | 1,341 | 4,639 |
| Trend | Declining | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Marcus | Silas |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 8,879 | 24,464 |
| 2010s | 24,143 | 29,629 |
| 2000s | 35,673 | 7,308 |
| 1990s | 46,497 | 1,907 |
| 1980s | 51,807 | 1,175 |
| 1970s | 39,464 | 922 |
| 1960s | 14,545 | 753 |
| 1950s | 8,694 | 1,050 |
| 1940s | 3,266 | 1,276 |
| 1930s | 2,298 | 1,482 |
| 1920s | 3,029 | 2,031 |
| 1910s | 2,051 | 1,553 |
| 1900s | 482 | 509 |
| 1890s | 405 | 631 |
| 1880s | 424 | 775 |
A Roman praenomen derived from Mars, the Roman god of war; the association is explicitly warlike. The underlying root is otherwise uncertain.
Silas is generally linked to the Latin Silvanus, “of the forest” or “wood,” and appears in the New Testament as a companion of Paul.
Silas is more popular than Marcus today: about 4,639 US babies were given the name Silas in 2025, compared with 1,341 named Marcus.
Marcus means Of Mars (latin origin), while Silas means Of the forest (Latin origin).
In US records, Marcus first appears in 1880 and Silas in 1880, so Marcus has the longer recorded history.