March

This name means “consecrated to the god Mars, god of war, dedicated to Mars.” The name derives from the Latin praenomen “Marcus” derived from “Mars,” the Roman god of war, originally Mavors, which in turn derives from the Proto Indo-European root “*Māwort-,” probably reconstructed from the Indian (Sanskrit: Marutas), a given name of ancient Roman Pre-Christian origin. It is referring to the mythological figure Mars because Mars was identified as the Roman god of war. The name ‘Mars’ can be taken by extension to refer to the deity Ares in the ancient Greek pantheon. Marcus developed as a patronymic or locational surname in Italy, southern France, and Spain around 1000 AD, traceable to religious monasteries and sanctuaries called Sanctus Marcus (or its many variants). Mark the Evangelist is the traditional author of the Gospel of Mark. He is one of the Seventy Disciples, founder of the Church of Alexandria, one of the four main original episcopal seats of Christianity. Martis dies in Latin is the second day of the week for some cultures and in honor of the god Mars.