Given name & surname
Marquis
“a lord of the borderlands; a nobleman”
Marquis is used as a given name and a surname. One French interpretation is “a lord of the borderlands; a nobleman.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One French interpretation is “a lord of the borderlands; a nobleman.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is French.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Marquis through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 25,041
- 24,567 boys · 474 girls
- Most popular year
- 1990
- 1,065 babies
- 2025
- 99
- #1,672 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −36%
- Cooling
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 99 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 1,672 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 36.2% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 1,037 in 1990. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (10). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 17,235 as a first name in 2020; 8,206 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Marquis’s family of names
Marquis has a related form in Marquise. Marquis has a related form in Marques. Marquis has a related form in Marquez.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 19
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
People named Marquis
- Marquis TeagueAmerican basketball player (born 1993)
- Marquis DanielsAmerican basketball playerborn 1981
- Bill HorrAmerican discus thrower and football coach (1880-1955)
- Marquis GrissomAmerican professional baseball player, outfielder, coachborn 1967
- Marquis HillAmerican composerborn 1987
- Marquis WrightAmerican basketball player (born 1995)
- Marquis HainseCanadian army officer
- Marquis CooperAmerican football player (1982-2009)
- Marquis ChildsAmerican writer and journalist (1903–1990)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Marquis, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Jacques
“he who supplants” · “heel grabber”
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Antoine
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“prepared for battle; eager and ready”
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“to cross over”
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Efrain
“one who is tertile; productive” · “fruitful”
>99% boys