NameCensus.

UK surname

Mark

Derived from the given name Mark or an abbreviation of a longer surname beginning with "Mark-," such as Markson.

In the 1881 census there were 1,509 people recorded with the Mark surname, ranking it #2,783 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,175, ranked #2,976, down from #2,783 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Brampton (including Midgeholme) and Lanercost, London parishes and St Pancras. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Breich Valley, Carlisle and Eyemouth.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mark is 2,655 in 1861. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 44.1%.

1881 census count

1,509

Ranked #2,783

Modern count

2,175

2016, ranked #2,976

Peak year

1861

2,655 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mark had 1,509 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,783 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,175 in 2016, ranked #2,976.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 2,655 in 1861.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Mark surname distribution map

The map shows where the Mark surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Mark surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mark over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 1,382 #2,073
1861 historical 2,655 #1,105
1881 historical 1,509 #2,783
1891 historical 1,871 #2,464
1901 historical 1,603 #3,222
1911 historical 1,368 #3,514
1997 modern 1,702 #3,502
1998 modern 1,763 #3,522
1999 modern 1,755 #3,563
2000 modern 1,744 #3,562
2001 modern 1,671 #3,628
2002 modern 1,735 #3,590
2003 modern 1,730 #3,525
2004 modern 1,717 #3,546
2005 modern 1,727 #3,493
2006 modern 1,752 #3,457
2007 modern 1,785 #3,433
2008 modern 1,813 #3,415
2009 modern 1,887 #3,365
2010 modern 1,971 #3,309
2011 modern 1,955 #3,300
2012 modern 1,992 #3,204
2013 modern 2,056 #3,172
2014 modern 2,115 #3,106
2015 modern 2,149 #3,020
2016 modern 2,175 #2,976

Geography

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Where Marks are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Brampton (including Midgeholme) and Lanercost, London parishes, St Pancras, Govan Combination and Edinburgh. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Breich Valley, Carlisle, Eyemouth, Hackney and Northumberland. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Brampton (including Midgeholme) and Lanercost Cumberland
2 London parishes London 3
3 St Pancras London (North Districts)
4 Govan Combination Lanark
5 Edinburgh Edinburgh

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Breich Valley West Lothian
2 Carlisle 002 Carlisle
3 Eyemouth Scottish Borders
4 Hackney 003 Hackney
5 Northumberland 001 Northumberland

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mark

These lists show first names that appear often with the Mark surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mark

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Mark, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Mark surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Mark household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Mark is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Mark is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Mark falls in decile 5 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Mark is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Mark, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Mark

The surname MARK is of English origin, derived from the Latin name "Marcus." It was first used as a personal name and later adopted as a surname during the Middle Ages.

The name MARK likely originated from the Roman tradition of using a personal name as a surname. In ancient Rome, the name Marcus was a common praenomen (personal name) given to males. As the practice of using family names became more widespread in Europe, some individuals adopted their personal names as hereditary surnames.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname MARK can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears as "Marcus" in this historical record.

The surname MARK was particularly prevalent in areas of England where Roman influence was strong, such as the counties of Gloucestershire, Somerset, and Wiltshire. Some early records show variations in spelling, including Marke, Marck, and Merke.

Notable historical figures with the surname MARK include:

1. John Mark (c. 5 - c. 85), a companion of the Apostle Paul and author of the Gospel of Mark in the New Testament. 2. Marcus Junius Brutus (85 BC - 42 BC), a Roman senator and one of the assassins of Julius Caesar. 3. John Mark (1693 - 1756), an English composer and organist. 4. Mary Shelley, née Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin (1797 - 1851), married to the English Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley and author of the novel "Frankenstein." Her maiden name was MARK, though she is better known by her married name. 5. Pamela Lyndon Travers (1899 - 1996), an Australian-British novelist and writer, best known for the "Mary Poppins" book series. Her birth name was Helen Lyndon Goff, but she adopted the pen name P.L. Travers, with MARK as her middle name.

The surname MARK has a long history in England and has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including writers, composers, and historical figures. It continues to be a common surname today, with its origins rooted in the Latin tradition of personal names.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mark families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mark surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Middlesex leads with 203 Marks recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.38x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 203 1.38x
Lancashire 155 0.89x
Cumberland 143 11.31x
Yorkshire 100 0.69x
Lanarkshire 89 1.87x
Northumberland 76 3.48x
Surrey 60 0.84x
Durham 56 1.28x
Midlothian 54 2.74x
Kent 47 0.94x
Glamorgan 32 1.25x
Suffolk 32 1.79x
Aberdeenshire 31 2.28x
Renfrewshire 30 2.64x
Northamptonshire 25 1.81x
Staffordshire 25 0.50x
Monmouthshire 24 2.26x
West Lothian 24 10.85x
Cornwall 23 1.38x
Hampshire 23 0.76x
Somerset 18 0.76x
Ayrshire 17 1.55x
Devon 16 0.52x
Essex 16 0.55x
Westmorland 16 4.96x
Norfolk 13 0.58x
Oxfordshire 13 1.43x
Selkirkshire 12 9.03x
Banffshire 10 3.28x
East Lothian 10 5.14x
Cheshire 9 0.28x
Roxburghshire 9 3.38x
Wigtownshire 9 4.61x
Angus 8 0.59x
Gloucestershire 7 0.24x
Nottinghamshire 7 0.35x
Stirlingshire 7 1.29x
Worcestershire 6 0.31x
Warwickshire 5 0.14x
Bedfordshire 4 0.53x
Berkshire 4 0.36x
Cambridgeshire 4 0.43x
Derbyshire 4 0.17x
Fife 4 0.46x
Argyllshire 3 0.73x
Brecknockshire 3 1.02x
Lincolnshire 3 0.13x
Sussex 3 0.12x
Channel Islands 2 0.46x
Isle of Man 2 0.73x
Wiltshire 2 0.15x
Anglesey 1 0.38x
Caernarfonshire 1 0.17x
Clackmannanshire 1 0.82x
Dorset 1 0.10x
Dumfriesshire 1 0.31x
Hertfordshire 1 0.10x
Kirkcudbrightshire 1 0.47x
Royal Navy 1 0.57x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. St Pancras London in Middlesex leads with 49 Marks recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.14x.

Place Total Index
St Pancras London 49 4.14x
Barony 34 2.83x
Hackney London 23 2.79x
Manchester 23 2.93x
Old Monkland 22 11.67x
St Cuthbert W O 21 34.06x
Brampton 19 109.57x
Alderton 18 671.64x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 18 2.27x
Govan 18 1.53x
Gateshead 17 5.20x
Cheetham 16 12.31x
Crosscanonby 16 38.25x
Islington London 16 1.12x
Leeds 16 1.95x
Liverpool 16 1.51x
Northampton All Sts 16 34.12x
Bathgate 15 31.23x
Hunslet 14 6.17x
Huntly 14 63.23x
Westgate 14 10.34x
Berwick Upon Tweed 13 28.07x
Croydon 13 3.27x
Kensington London 13 1.59x
Darlaston 12 17.51x
Holy Trinity 12 3.43x
Mile End Old Town 11 4.74x
Barrow In Furness 10 4.22x
Halifax 10 4.68x
Henley On Thames 10 53.79x
Kenninghall 10 161.29x
Salford 10 1.95x
St George In East 10 10.01x
Beauworth 9 1384.62x
Bishopwearmouth 9 2.40x
Enfield 9 9.34x
Linthorpe 9 10.36x
Temple 9 115.09x
Bedwellty 8 4.27x
Cathcart 8 12.99x
Glasgow 8 0.95x
Greatham 8 215.63x
Hampstead London 8 3.50x
Huncoat 8 170.94x
Keighley 8 5.16x
Kirkdale 8 2.73x
Lansallos 8 221.61x
Lytham 8 30.06x
Paull 8 290.91x
Plymouth St Andrew 8 3.40x
St Luke London 8 3.40x
Talland 8 204.08x
Trevethin 8 7.98x
Wigton 8 42.19x
Ardleigh 7 87.06x
Ashkirk 7 278.88x
Bawdsey 7 322.58x
Beeston 7 30.77x
Bermondsey 7 1.60x
Boyndie 7 69.38x
Camberwell 7 0.75x
Cardiff St Mary 7 4.97x
Cliburn 7 500.00x
Galashiels 7 14.25x
Holme East Waver 7 308.37x
Inveresk 7 13.14x
Kilmalcolm 7 51.32x
Kilwinning 7 19.72x
Lambeth 7 0.55x
Lanton 7 2058.82x
Methlick 7 64.28x
Newcastle On Tyne St 7 6.18x
Northampton St Giles 7 13.30x
Roath 7 6.03x
Stoke Upon Trent 7 1.33x
Woolwich 7 3.78x
Wylam 7 145.23x
Yealand Redmayne 7 660.38x
Battersea 6 1.11x
Rockcliff 6 152.67x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Mark surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Mark surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 90
William 69
George 40
Thomas 37
James 36
Joseph 26
Edward 19
Robert 19
Henry 16
Alfred 12
Charles 12
Walter 11
Arthur 9
Richard 8
Samuel 7
Isaac 6
Benjamin 5
Frederick 5
Herbert 5
Thos. 5
Albert 4
Alexander 4
David 4
Edwin 4
Ernest 4
Frank 4
Harry 4
Abraham 3
Fredrick 3
Geo. 3
Tom 3
Wm. 3
Andrew 2
Bill 2
Fred 2
Fred. 2
Harris 2
Humphrey 2
Jas. 2
Matthew 2
Michael 2
Percy 2
Philip 2
Sydney 2
Caleb 1
Cecil 1
F. 1
Farrar 1
Francis 1
Woolf 1

FAQ

Mark surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mark surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,509 people were recorded with the Mark surname. That placed it at #2,783 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mark surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,175 in 2016. That gives Mark a modern rank of #2,976.

What does the Mark surname mean?

Derived from the given name Mark or an abbreviation of a longer surname beginning with "Mark-," such as Markson.

What does the Mark map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Mark bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.