| Mark | Lucas | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Of Mars | Light-bringing; from Lucania |
| Origin | Latin | Latin |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | MARK | LOO-kus |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1881 |
| Peak year | 1960 (58,727) | 2017 (13,032) |
| In 2025 | 1,416 | 10,219 |
| Trend | Declining | Steady |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Mark | Lucas |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 8,658 | 65,795 |
| 2010s | 21,108 | 118,661 |
| 2000s | 37,257 | 70,995 |
| 1990s | 75,816 | 38,178 |
| 1980s | 129,442 | 26,088 |
| 1970s | 194,260 | 8,817 |
| 1960s | 441,390 | 857 |
| 1950s | 382,589 | 339 |
| 1940s | 50,731 | 256 |
| 1930s | 7,444 | 254 |
| 1920s | 6,495 | 403 |
| 1910s | 4,134 | 286 |
| 1900s | 971 | 55 |
| 1890s | 953 | 67 |
| 1880s | 928 | 41 |
Mark comes from the Roman name Marcus, probably derived from Mars, the god of war. Mark the Evangelist is credited with the second Gospel.
Lucas is the Latin form of Luke, from Loukas — most often understood as “from Lucania” in southern Italy, and popularly associated with the Latin lux, “light.”
Lucas is more popular than Mark today: about 10,219 US babies were given the name Lucas in 2025, compared with 1,416 named Mark.
Mark means Of Mars (Latin origin), while Lucas means Light-bringing; from Lucania (Latin origin).
In US records, Mark first appears in 1880 and Lucas in 1881, so Mark has the longer recorded history.