History of Christian names

by Charlotte M. Yonge

The origin of Marcus, represented by the M, so often a Roman initial, is involved in great doubt. It has been deduced from the Greek μαλακὸς (soft or tender), a very uncongenial epithet for one of the race of iron. Others derive it from mas (a male), as implying manly qualities; and others, from Mars, or more correctly, Mavers or Mamers, one of the chief of the old Latin deities. Diefenbach thinks also that it may be connected with the Keltic Marc (a horse), and with the verb to march.

It extended into all the provinces, and was that by which John, sister’s son to Barnabas, was known to the Romans. Tradition identifies him with the Evangelist, who, under St. Peter’s direction, wrote the Gospel especially intended for “strangers of Rome,” and who afterwards founded the Church of Alexandria, and gave it a liturgy. In consequence, Markos has ever since been a favourite Greek name, especially among those connected with the Alexandrian patriarchate. In the days, however, when relic-hunting had become a passion, some adventurous Venetians stole the remains of the Evangelist from the pillar in the Alexandrian church, in which they had been built up, and transferred them to Venice.

Popular imagination does not seem to have supposed the saints to have been one whit displeased at any sacrilegious robberies, for San Marco immediately was constituted the prime patron of the city; and, having been supposed to give his almost visible protection in perils by fire and flood, the Republic itself and its territory were known as his property, and the special emblem of the state was that shape among the Cherubim which had been appropriated as the token suited to his Gospel, namely, the lion with eagle’s wings, the Marzocco, as the populace termed it, and another such Marzocco figures at Florence.

Marco was the name of every fifth man at Venice, and the winged lion being the stamp on the coinage of the great merchant city, which was banker to half the world, a marc became the universal title of the piece of money which, though long disused in England, has left traces of its value in the legal fee of six-and-eightpence.

The chief popularity of the Evangelist’s name is in Italy, especially Lombardy; though the Greek Church, as in duty bound, has many a Markos, and no country has ceased to make use of it. Some, such as Niebuhr for his Roman-born son, and a few classically inclined English, have revived the ancient Marcus; but, in general, the word follows the national pronunciation.

English.	French.	Italian.	Spanish and Portuguese.
Mark	Marc	Marco	Marcos
Marcus
Esthonian and Russian	Polish and Bohemian	Lusatian.	Hungarian.
Mark	Marek	Markusch	Markus

From Marcus sprang the nomen Martius, or, as it was later written, Marcius, belonging to a very noble gens of Sabine origin, which gave a king to Rome, and afterwards was famous in the high-spirited and gentle-hearted Cnæus Marcius Coriolanus.

The daughters of this gens were called Marcia, and this as Marzia, Marcie, Marcia, has since been used as the feminine of Mark. From Martius again came Martinus, the name of the Roman soldier who divided his cloak with the beggar, and afterwards became Bishop of Tours, and completed the conversion of the Gauls. He might well be one of the favourite saints of France, and St. Martin of Tours rivalled St. Denys in the allegiance of the French, when kings and counts esteemed it an honour to belong to his chapter; and yet Martin occurs less frequently in French history than might have been expected, though it is to be found a good deal among the peasants, and is a surname. Dante speaks of Ser Martino as typical of the male gossips of Florence; and from the great prevalence of the surname of Martin in England, it would seem to have been more often given as a baptismal name. Martin was a notable king of Aragon; but zealous Romanist countries have perhaps disused Martin for the very reason that Germans love it, namely, that it belonged to “Dr. Martinus Luther,” as the learned would call the Augustinian monk, whose preachings opened the eyes of his countrymen.

English.	French.	Italian and Spanish.	Portuguese.
Martyn	Martin	Martino	Martin
	Mertin		Martinho
German.	Swiss.	Dutch.	Lett.
Martin	Märti	Martijn	Martschis
Mertil	Martili	Marten	Hungarian.
		Swedish.	Martoni
		Marten

Martina was one of the young Roman girls who endured the fiery trial of martyrdom under the Emperor Decius. Her plant is the maidenhair fern, so great an ornament to the Roman fountains; and her name, whether in her honour, or as the feminine of Martin, is occasionally found in Italy, France, and England.