Marsell
Of Latin origin, meaning "little warrior" or "little soldier".
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Marsell. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Marsell today is around 30 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Marsell births was 1927 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Marsell. 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 Marsell. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
1927
5 babies that year
Average age
30
years old
2008 SSA rank
#13,867
Tracked since 1927
Census
Marsell in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 107 people with the first name Marsell, which placed it at #52,420 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
#52,420
National first-name rank
People counted
107
107 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
59.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Marsell
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Marsell is Black at 59.8%. The next largest groups are White (17.8%) and Hispanic (16.8%). 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 Marsell 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 Marsell at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American59.8% · 64
- White17.8% · 19
- Hispanic or Latino16.8% · 18
- Two or more races4.7% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Popularity
Marsell: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Marsell from the 1920s through to the 2000s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 5 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
Marsell 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 Marsell 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 Marsell
The name Marsell has its roots in the ancient Latin language, with its origins dating back to the Roman Empire. It is believed to be derived from the Latin word "Marcellus," which was a family name that gained prominence during the early days of Rome.
Marcellus was a name associated with strength and courage, as it was borne by the renowned Roman general and statesman, Marcus Claudius Marcellus. He lived from 268 BC to 208 BC and was renowned for his military victories against the Carthaginians during the Second Punic War.
As the Roman Empire expanded and its influence spread across Europe, the name Marcellus evolved over time, taking on various forms and spellings. One of these variants was the name Marsell, which emerged as a distinct name in its own right.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Marsell can be traced back to medieval Europe, particularly in regions with strong Roman influence, such as Italy and France. During this period, the name appeared in various historical records and documents, although its usage remained relatively limited.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Marsell. One of the earliest recorded figures was Marsell de Compiègne, a French nobleman and crusader who lived in the 12th century. He participated in the Third Crusade and played a role in the siege of Acre in 1191.
Another prominent figure was Marsell de Montferrat, an Italian nobleman and military leader from the 13th century. He was a member of the influential House of Montferrat and played a significant role in the conflicts between the Guelphs and Ghibellines in northern Italy.
In the realm of literature, the name Marsell found its way into the works of renowned authors. One such example is the character of Marsell in the historical novel "The Agony and the Ecstasy" by Irving Stone, which chronicles the life of the famous Renaissance artist Michelangelo.
The name Marsell also appeared in religious contexts, with several individuals bearing the name serving as clergymen or religious figures. One notable example is Marsell Aurillius, a French Benedictine monk who lived in the 17th century and was known for his scholarly works on Church history.
In more recent times, the name Marsell has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including artists, musicians, and athletes. Marsell Jacobs, a Dutch artist and sculptor born in 1935, gained recognition for his abstract works and installations.
These examples illustrate the rich history and diverse backgrounds associated with the name Marsell, which has endured through the ages, evolving from its ancient Latin roots to become a distinct and meaningful name in its own right.
People
Marsell + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Marsell 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
Marsell: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Marsell?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Marsell 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 34,275,434 US residents.
Is Marsell a common name?
We classify Marsell as "Very Rare". It ranks above 28.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 15 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Marsell most popular?
The single biggest year for Marsell was 1927, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Marsell is about 30 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Marsell in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 107 people with the name Marsell, or 0.04 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #52,420 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 Marsell 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 Marsell?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Marsell on both sides of the split. Of the 109 people counted with this name, 80 were male (73.4%) and 29 were female (26.6%). 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 Marsell?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Marsell is Black at 59.8%. The next largest groups are White (17.8%) and Hispanic (16.8%). 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 Marsell most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Marsell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 59.8% (64 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 Marsell in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Marsell a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Marsell 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 Marsell still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Marsell 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 Marsell 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 Marsell?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.