Mardella
Feminine name likely derived from Mary and Della, meaning "bitter sea".
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the first name Mardella. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Mardella today is around 77 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mardella births was 1933 (24 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mardella. 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 Mardella is about 77 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Mardellas were born before 1959.
People living today
125
~ 1 in 2,742,035 Americans
Peak year
1933
24 babies that year
Average age
77
years old
1974 SSA rank
#9,635
Tracked since 1914
Census
Mardella in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 261 people with the first name Mardella, which placed it at #32,310 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
#32,310
National first-name rank
People counted
261
261 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
74.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mardella
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Mardella is White at 74.3%. The next largest groups are Black (16.1%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Mardella 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 Mardella at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.3% · 194
- Black or African American16.1% · 42
- Two or more races3.8% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.1% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 7
Popularity
Mardella: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Mardella from the 1910s through to the 1970s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 150 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
Mardella 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 Mardella during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Mardellas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Mardella
The name Mardella is a unique and intriguing moniker that has its roots in various cultures and languages. It is believed to be a combination of the Latin word "mar," meaning "sea," and the Germanic element "della," which signifies "noble" or "strong."
In ancient times, the name was closely associated with the Roman Empire, where it was used to honor individuals with a connection to the sea, such as sailors, fishermen, or those living near coastal regions. The name's maritime connotation suggests a sense of adventure, exploration, and a deep respect for the natural world.
During the Middle Ages, the name Mardella gained popularity among certain noble families in Europe, particularly in regions with strong maritime traditions. It was seen as a symbol of strength, resilience, and a connection to the natural elements, qualities that were highly valued in those times.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Mardella can be found in a 12th-century manuscript from a Benedictine monastery in northern Italy. The manuscript mentions a woman named Mardella, who was renowned for her charitable work and her dedication to helping the less fortunate in her community.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Mardella. One such figure was Mardella di Genova (1245-1312), an Italian noblewoman and patron of the arts, known for her support of artists and scholars during the Renaissance period.
Another prominent figure was Mardella Rousseau (1670-1742), a French explorer and navigator who accompanied several expeditions to the Caribbean and the Americas. Her detailed journals and maps contributed significantly to the knowledge of the region during that era.
In the 19th century, Mardella Bingham (1805-1879) was a renowned British artist and educator, renowned for her intricate landscape paintings and her dedication to teaching young artists.
More recently, Mardella Catalano (1920-2005) was an Italian-American writer and poet, whose works explored themes of identity, immigration, and the human experience. Her poetry collection, "Echoes of the Sea," was widely acclaimed for its lyrical beauty and profound insights.
Throughout its rich history, the name Mardella has been associated with strength, resilience, and a deep connection to the natural world, particularly the sea. Its unique blend of Latin and Germanic roots has given it a distinctive character that has captivated individuals across various cultures and time periods.
People
Mardella + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mardella 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
Mardella: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mardella?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 125 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mardella 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 2,742,035 US residents.
Is Mardella a common name?
We classify Mardella as "Very Rare". It ranks above 67.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 499 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mardella most popular?
The single biggest year for Mardella was 1933, when 24 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mardella is about 77 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Mardella in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 261 people with the name Mardella, or 0.09 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #32,310 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 Mardella 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 Mardella?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Mardella appears almost entirely female. Of the 264 people counted with this name, 100.0% 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 Mardella?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Mardella is White at 74.3%. The next largest groups are Black (16.1%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Mardella most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Mardella in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.3% (194 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 Mardella in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Mardella a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Mardella 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 Mardella still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Mardella 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 Mardella 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 have the name Mardella?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.