Find out how popular the last name Marceau is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Marceau.

Marceau, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Marceau surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Marceau in America

Marceau is the 16839th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Marceau surname appeared 1,695 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Marceau.

We can also compare 2010 data for Marceau to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Marceau

The surname Marceau has its origins in France, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old French name Marc, which in turn comes from the Latin name Marcus, meaning "belonging to Mars," the Roman god of war.

The name Marceau is thought to have originated in the northern regions of France, particularly in the provinces of Normandy and Picardy. It was likely first used as a surname in the 11th or 12th century, when hereditary surnames became more common in Europe.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Marceau can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land and property in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears as "Marcellus," which was a common Latin variant of Marcus at the time.

In the 13th century, the name Marceau appeared in various records and manuscripts, often in connection with noble families or landowners. For instance, a Guillaume Marceau was mentioned in a charter from the Abbey of Cheminon in Normandy, dated 1247.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Marceau. One of the most famous was François Séverin Marceau-Desgraviers (1769-1796), a French revolutionary general who played a significant role in the French Revolutionary Wars.

Another notable figure was Jean Marceau (1920-2012), a French mime artist and actor who gained worldwide recognition for his performances and for popularizing the art of mime in the 20th century.

In the literary world, Félicien Victor Joseph Cauvain Marceau (1913-2012) was a French philosopher and author, best known for his philosophical essays and novels exploring themes of existentialism and the human condition.

The name Marceau has also been associated with several place names in France, such as the village of Marceau in the department of Sarthe, and the Marceau district in the city of Reims.

In the realm of sports, Jean-François Marceau (born 1975) was a professional ice hockey player from Canada who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for several teams, including the Montreal Canadiens and the New York Rangers.

While the surname Marceau is primarily French in origin, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through French migration and colonization in the Americas and other regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Marceau

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Marceau.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Marceau was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Marceau has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Marceau was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Marceau, please contact us.

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