Marques is a surname and masculine given name of diverse origins. As a given name, it is most commonly used within African American communities and is a variant of Marquis. The name Marquis derives from a noble title that originates from the Old French word marche meaning "march, borderland". The title originally referred to someone who ruled on the borderlands of a realm. In medieval Europe, a marquis was a noble ranking above a count and below a duke, often entrusted with guarding frontier territories. The adoption of the title as a given name reflects a broader African American tradition of using evocative and aspirational names, often drawn from European aristocratic titles. The popularity of such names in the United States rose during the late 20th century, particularly in the 1970s and 1980s. Variants like Marques and Marquise are common, and the feminine form Marquita has also been used. As a surname, Marques is of Portuguese origin, derived from the given name Marco or Marcos with the suffix -es, meaning "son of Marco". It is the Portuguese equivalent of the Spanish surname Márquez. The name is also present as a Catalan surname and as a place name, referring to a commune in Normandy, France, called Marques.Meaning: Variant of Marquis (borderland ruler), or a Portuguese patronymic surnameOrigin: African American given name; Portuguese, Catalan surnameType: Given name and surnameUsage regions: United States (African American), Portugal, Brazil, France, Catalonia