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The name Marcus is a proud symbol of ancient Jewish culture. Before the late Middle Ages, people were known only by a single name. However, as the population increased and travelers set out on their journeys, it became necessary for people to adopt a second name to identify themselves. Jewish hereditary surnames were adopted from a variety of different sources. Two of the most common types of Jewish family names are patronymic surnames, which are derived from the father's given name, and metronymic surnames, which are derived from the mother's given name. The surname Marcus is a patronymic surname, which derives from the Latin given name Marcus. In the case of the Jewish surname Marcus, it is in many cases an Anglicization of any of several like-sounding Jewish surnames.
In the United States, the name Marcus is the 1,829th most popular surname with an estimated 17,409 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Marcus is ranked the 9,221st most popular surname with an estimated 500 - 1,000 people with that name. 2