Marcele
Of French origin, meaning "little warrior" or "fighter".
Name Census estimates that about 22 living Americans carry the first name Marcele. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Marcele today is around 76 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Marcele births was 1922 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Marcele. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Marcele is about 76 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Marceles were born before 1960.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Marcele. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
22
~ 1 in 15,579,743 Americans
Peak year
1922
11 babies that year
Average age
76
years old
1966 SSA rank
#7,205
Tracked since 1918
Popularity
Marcele: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Marcele from the 1910s through to the 1960s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 44 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Marcele by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Marcele during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Marcele
The name Marcele has its origins in Latin, deriving from the Roman name Marcus. Marcus was a common praenomen, or personal name, in ancient Rome and is believed to have been derived from the word "mas," meaning male. The name gained popularity during the Roman Republic and continued to be widely used throughout the Roman Empire.
In its early form, Marcele was likely a feminine variant of Marcus, used to distinguish female members of the Marcus family or those associated with it. The transition from Marcus to Marcele can be traced back to the medieval period, when it was common to create feminine forms of masculine names by adding suffixes like "-a" or "-e."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Marcele can be found in the writings of the 12th-century French poet and playwright, Chrétien de Troyes. In his famous work, "Perceval, the Story of the Grail," he mentions a character named Marcele, suggesting the name's use in France during that era.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Marcele. One of the earliest was Marcele Desmoulins (1759-1794), a French journalist and revolutionary who played a significant role in the French Revolution. Another prominent figure was Marcele Auclair (1899-1983), a French writer and philosopher known for her works on metaphysics and spirituality.
In the artistic realm, Marcele Louisa Bellocq (1898-1986) was a renowned American photographer best known for her portraits of New Orleans prostitutes in the early 20th century. Marcele Meyer (1897-1957), a French actress and singer, also gained fame for her performances in several French films during the 1930s and 1940s.
More recently, Marcele Ferri (1932-2019) was a Brazilian singer and actress who achieved great success in her home country, particularly with her interpretations of bossa nova and samba music.
While the name Marcele has its roots in ancient Rome, it has been embraced by various cultures over the centuries, with individuals bearing this name leaving their mark in fields ranging from literature and philosophy to art and entertainment.
People
Marcele + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Marcele as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Marcele: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Marcele?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 22 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Marcele going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 15,579,743 US residents.
Is Marcele a common name?
We classify Marcele as "Very Rare". It ranks above 41.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 104 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Marcele most popular?
The single biggest year for Marcele was 1922, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Marcele is about 76 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Marcele a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Marcele in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.