Marcilla
A feminine diminutive form of the name Marcia, of Latin origin.
Name Census estimates that about 29 living Americans carry the first name Marcilla. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Marcilla today is around 61 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Marcilla births was 1924 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Marcilla. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Marcilla. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
29
~ 1 in 11,819,115 Americans
Peak year
1924
8 babies that year
Average age
61
years old
1973 SSA rank
#7,111
Tracked since 1921
Census
Marcilla in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 154 people with the first name Marcilla, which placed it at #44,677 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#44,677
National first-name rank
People counted
154
154 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
40.9% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Marcilla
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Marcilla is White at 40.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (28.6%) and Black (22.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Marcilla described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Marcilla at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White40.9% · 63
- Hispanic or Latino28.6% · 44
- Black or African American22.1% · 34
- American Indian and Alaska Native4.5% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.2% · 5
- Two or more races0.6% · 1
Popularity
Marcilla: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Marcilla from the 1920s through to the 1970s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 20 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Marcilla 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 Marcilla 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 Marcilla
Marcilla is a feminine given name with roots tracing back to the ancient Roman Empire. It is derived from the Latin name Marcus, which means "warlike" or "martial." The name gained popularity during the Roman era and was often bestowed upon girls born into military families or those with a strong, powerful spirit.
The earliest recorded use of the name Marcilla dates back to the 2nd century AD, when it appeared in Roman inscriptions and records. It was a relatively common name among the upper classes and was sometimes given as a diminutive form of Marcus, indicating a sense of endearment or affection.
In the Middle Ages, the name Marcilla experienced a resurgence in popularity, particularly in Spain and Italy. It was often associated with the cult of Saint Marcus, a early Christian martyr whose feast day was celebrated on April 25th. Many noble families in these regions adopted the name as a way to honor their religious devotion and connection to the saint.
One notable historical figure bearing the name Marcilla was Marcilla de Lébrix, a Spanish noblewoman from the 13th century. She was known for her charitable works and her patronage of the arts, supporting many poets and artists during her lifetime.
Another famous Marcilla was Marcilla de' Medici, an Italian Renaissance woman who lived in the 15th century. She was a member of the powerful Medici family and was known for her intelligence, wit, and skill in political intrigue.
In the 16th century, Marcilla Gonzaga, an Italian noblewoman and patron of the arts, was a significant figure in the cultural life of Renaissance Italy. She hosted salons and gatherings for artists, poets, and intellectuals, and was celebrated for her refined taste and knowledge of the arts.
Marcilla Borgia, born in 1492, was a member of the infamous Borgia family and was known for her beauty and her involvement in the political machinations of her family. Despite her notorious surname, she was praised for her intelligence and her love of learning.
In the 17th century, Marcilla de Leyva was a Spanish nun and mystic who gained a reputation for her piety and her alleged ability to perform miracles. She was revered by many in her lifetime and was even considered for canonization, though the process was never completed.
While the name Marcilla has fallen out of common use in recent times, it remains a part of history, with its roots firmly planted in the ancient Roman world and its branches reaching into the Renaissance and beyond.
People
Marcilla + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Marcilla 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
Marcilla: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Marcilla?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 29 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Marcilla 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 11,819,115 US residents.
Is Marcilla a common name?
We classify Marcilla as "Very Rare". It ranks above 46% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 49 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Marcilla most popular?
The single biggest year for Marcilla was 1924, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Marcilla is about 61 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Marcilla in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 154 people with the name Marcilla, or 0.05 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #44,677 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Marcilla in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Marcilla?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Marcilla appears almost entirely female. Of the 160 people counted with this name, 99.4% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Marcilla?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Marcilla is White at 40.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (28.6%) and Black (22.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Marcilla most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Marcilla in the 2020 Census, accounting for 40.9% (63 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Marcilla in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Marcilla a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Marcilla 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.
Is Marcilla still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Marcilla in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Marcilla can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
How many people are named Marcilla?
If you just want to know how many people share the name Marcilla, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.