Marquetta
A feminine name of French origin meaning "little marquise".
Name Census estimates that about 1,825 living Americans carry the first name Marquetta. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Marquetta today is around 47 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Marquetta births was 1984 (91 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Marquetta. 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.
People living today
1.8K
~ 1 in 187,811 Americans
Peak year
1984
91 babies that year
Average age
47
years old
2015 SSA rank
#15,725
Tracked since 1929
Popularity
Marquetta: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Marquetta from the 1920s through to the 2010s, spanning 10 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 688 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Marquetta 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 Marquetta during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Marquettas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 18 states and territories. Ohio, Illinois, Alabama recorded the most babies named Marquetta, while Tennessee, South Carolina, Pennsylvania recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 27 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Marquetta
The name Marquetta has its origins in the French language and culture, first emerging in the late 17th century. It is derived from the French word "marquis," which means "marquess" or a nobleman holding a rank just below that of a duke. The name likely originated as a feminine variation of the masculine name Marquis or Marc.
In the early 18th century, the name Marquetta began appearing in various historical records and documents in France and other parts of Europe. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this name was Marquetta de Beaumont, a French noblewoman born in 1705, who was known for her philanthropic work and efforts to support education for underprivileged children.
Another notable figure named Marquetta was Marquetta von Bredow, a German aristocrat born in 1792, who played a significant role in the Prussian resistance against Napoleon's occupation during the Napoleonic Wars. Her courage and determination were celebrated in contemporary accounts of the time.
In the world of literature, Marquetta Clarisse was a fictional character in the 19th-century novel "The Marchioness of Brinvilliers" by Alexandre Dumas. This novel, based on the life of an infamous French aristocrat convicted of multiple poisonings, contributed to the recognition of the name Marquetta in popular culture.
Moving into the 20th century, Marquetta Goodwine was an American singer and actress born in 1918, who gained fame for her performances in various Broadway musicals and productions during the 1940s and 1950s.
Lastly, Marquetta Narine was a Guyanese artist and sculptor born in 1936, known for her distinctive works that celebrated the cultural heritage and traditions of her native country. Her sculptures and installations were widely exhibited and acclaimed throughout the Caribbean region and beyond.
While the name Marquetta has seen some popularity over the centuries, it has remained relatively uncommon compared to other more widely used names. Nevertheless, it carries a rich history and associations with nobility, artistic expression, and cultural significance across various regions and time periods.
People
Marquetta + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Marquetta 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
Marquetta: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Marquetta?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,825 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Marquetta 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 187,811 US residents.
Is Marquetta a common name?
We classify Marquetta as "Rare". It ranks above 93.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,130 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Marquetta most popular?
The single biggest year for Marquetta was 1984, when 91 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Marquetta is about 47 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Marquetta a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Marquetta 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.