Marius is an ancient Roman family name, probably derived from Mars, the god of war, and so read as "of Mars" or "warlike"; some link it instead to the Latin mas, male. The general Gaius Marius reformed the Roman army, and Victor Hugo gave the name to the young idealist Marius in Les Misérables. In the United States Marius ranked number 2965 in 2000, peaked at number 1604 in 2003 and stands at number 2555 in 2025.