Marreco
A Portuguese proper noun meaning a male mallard, a type of duck.
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Marreco. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Marreco today is around 46 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Marreco births was 1977 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Marreco. 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 Marreco. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1977
5 babies that year
Average age
46
years old
1977 SSA rank
#6,474
Tracked since 1977
Popularity
Marreco: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Marreco 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 Marreco during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Marreco
The given name Marreco traces its origins to the Portuguese language, originating in the 15th century. It is derived from the word "marreco," which means "drake" or "male duck" in Portuguese. This name likely emerged as a nickname or descriptive term for someone who exhibited qualities associated with ducks, such as waddling or being a strong swimmer.
Marreco was not a widely used name in ancient times, and there are no known references to it in religious scriptures or historical texts from that era. However, it did start appearing sporadically in Portuguese records and documents from the 16th century onwards.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Marreco is João Marreco, a Portuguese sailor who embarked on a voyage to India in 1521. Another notable figure with this name was Diogo Marreco, a Portuguese explorer who participated in the colonization of Brazil in the late 16th century.
In the 17th century, Marreco Pereira (1620-1693) was a renowned Portuguese painter known for his religious works and portraits. His real first name was Manuel, but he was commonly referred to as Marreco, which became his informal first name.
During the 18th century, Marreco da Silva (1745-1812) was a prominent Portuguese architect who designed several churches and public buildings in Lisbon and other cities.
In more recent history, Marreco Pinto (1901-1978) was a celebrated Portuguese writer and journalist who published several novels and short stories. His works often explored themes of rural life and the struggles of the working class.
While Marreco is not a common first name today, it has a rich historical significance in Portuguese culture, reflecting the language's connection to the natural world and its use of descriptive nicknames.
People
Marreco + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Marreco 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
Marreco: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Marreco?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Marreco 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Marreco a common name?
We classify Marreco as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Marreco most popular?
The single biggest year for Marreco was 1977, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Marreco is about 46 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Marreco in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Marreco a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Marreco in the SSA data are male. 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 Marreco still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Marreco 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 Marreco 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are named Marreco?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people share the name Marreco at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.