Given name & surname
Mars
“the god of war”
Mars is used as a given name and a surname. One Latin interpretation is “the god of war.”
Original GreekΜαρς
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Latin interpretation is “the god of war.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Latin.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1923. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
In the Bible
In the Bible, the name Mars appears in Acts 17:22.
From biblical name research
Mars through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,522
- 1,320 boys · 202 girls
- Most popular year
- 2023
- 190 babies
- 2025
- 132
- #1,615 for boys · #4,947 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +68%
- Rising fast
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 84% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 105 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 1,615 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 61.9% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. It also appeared in 27 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (18). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 952 as a first name in 2020; 4,505 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.
Mars’s family of names
In Dutch usage, Mars has a diminutive in Martinus. In English usage, Mars as a surname has a related form in MARRS. In Greek usage, Mars as a surname is a transliteration of Μαρς.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Around the world
Mars has relatives in 3 languages. Lines run from its Latin roots to each of them.
3 related names in 3 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
People named Mars
- Mars Di BartolomeoLuxembourgish politicianborn 1952
- Mars Rafikovsoviet cosmonaut (1933–2000)
- Mars WilliamsAmerican musician (1955–2023)
- Mars CallahanAmerican actor and directorborn 1971
- Mars BonfireCanadian rock musician and songwriterborn 1943
- Mars RaveloFilipino comic book cartoonist and graphic novelist1916–1988
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Mars, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Maik
“who” · “like”
>99% boys
Miqueas
Miqueas is a given name from Latin. It is used in Spanish.
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Arjan
Arjan is a masculine given name from Latin. It is used in Dutch and Albanian.
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Miles
“one who is merciful” · “a soldier”
>99% boys
Milan
“from the city in Italy; one who is gracious” · “an eager and hardworking man”
70% boys · 30% girls
Marss
Marss is a given name from Latin. It is used in Latvian.
—
Augustus
“one who is venerable; majestic”
>99% boys
Onyx
“as precious as the stone”
82% boys · 18% girls