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