Surname Markevicius - Meaning and Origin
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Markevicius: What does the surname Markevicius mean?
Markevicius is a Lithuanian surname meaning 'son of Mark'. The name is derived from the personal name of Mark, which was a popular name among early Christians in Eastern Europe and is ultimately derived from the Latin name Marcus, meaning “dedicated to Mars” from the Latin root "mārs", meaning “god of war”.
The suffix -evičius was commonly used to denote paternal descent in the Lithuanian language. It is the equivalent of the patronymic surnames -son or -sen in the English language, such as Jackson or Hansen. So, Markevicius was an indication that a person was the son of Mark, or a descendant of someone with that name.
The surname Markevicius is quite common in Lithuania, with over 2000 people bearing the name in the country today. It is not as widespread in other countries, but there are still people of Lithuanian descent bearing the name in countries such as Latvia, Russia, United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
In modern Lithuania, the surname Markevicius is most commonly used by Roman Catholics. Many of the families bearing the name can trace their roots back to homesteads in Lithuania's Suvalkija and Žemaitija regions. It is likely that most of the families in this region are closely related, due to the limited population size in the area historically.
Order DNA origin analysisMarkevicius: Where does the name Markevicius come from?
The last name Markevicius is most commonly seen today in Lithuania and is primarily a Lithuanian family name. It is also found in other parts of Eastern and Central Europe, especially in countries such as Latvia, Poland, and the Czech Republic. It is an ancient name that dates back to the thirteenth century, when it was adopted by the Markevich family.
The Markevich family was descended from Grand Duke Gediminas of Lithuania, who lived from 1275 to 1341. He was a powerful ruler who founded the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. After his death, his descendents kept the family name and it was passed down through the generations.
Today, the Markevicius family name can also be seen in the United States, where it is slowly becoming more common. During the period of significant Lithuanian emigration in the 20th century, many people with the Markevicius surname settled in the United States. As a result, the Markevicius name can now be found scattered across the USA.
Although the Markevicius name is not widespread, it has some very celebrated family members, who have achieved great successes in various fields. The Markevicius surname has great historical and cultural significance in Lithuania. It is a distinctive, ancient name that is closely linked with Lithuanian culture and heritage.
Variations of the surname Markevicius
The surname Markevičius is a patronymic one, derived from the Lithuanian word “Markevičas”, which can be translated as “son of Markas”. It is a rather common surname in Lithuania, and has some variants of spellings and surnames.
The most common variants of Markevičius are Markovicius, Markavicius, Markavičius, Markauskis, Markovskis, Markovskij and Markovskas. All these variants are of the same origin, and all of them refer to the same family.
The variant Markovskij is often used when the family name is written in Cyrillic and the version Markavicius is popular in Belarus.
The spelling variants Markevicius, Markiewicz, Marcivicius, Marcewicz, Markvitz and Makarovicius also originate from the same family.
The variants Marcovici and Marchwitz are rarely used, and Chmara is a surname derived from the Lithuanian version of the name Markevičius.
The surnames Markevičiūtė and Markevičienė are also related to Markevičius, but refer to a female family member, the daughter or the wife of a Markas.
It is possible to also find other unusual variants of the Markevičius surname, like Marevicius, Marchevich, Markevych, Markovska and others around the world. Overall, all these variations come from the same origin: Markas, the ancestor of the Markevičius family.
Famous people with the name Markevicius
- Laurynas Markevičius: Lithuanian athlete, former Olympic medallist in canoeing
- Rasa Markevičiūtė: Lithuanian journalist and publicist
- Mantas Markevičius: Lithuanian athlete, marathon runner
- Algirdas Markevičius: Lithuanian composer, author of many popular songs
- Donatas Markevičius: Lithuanian judoka, bronze medalist at the 2008 Summer Olympics
- Eimantas Markevičius: Lithuanian tae kwon do practitioner, bronze medalist at the 2016 Summer Olympics
- Saulius Markevičius: Lithuanian football midfielder
- Saulius Markevičius Jr.: Lithuanian football forward
- Ventis Markevičius: Lithuanian sport shooter, bronze medalist at the 2004 Summer Olympics
- Tom Markevich: Lithuanian basketball player for the Houston Rockets