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

Marcel, 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 Marcel surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Marcel in America

Marcel is the 15898th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Marcel surname appeared 1,829 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 Marcel.

We can also compare 2010 data for Marcel 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 Marcel

The surname Marcel originated in France during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Latin name Marcellus, which itself comes from the Roman family name Marcius or Marcus. Marcel was a widespread name in France from an early period, appearing in various forms such as Marceau, Marçau, and Marsault.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Marcel can be found in the Domesday Book, a manuscript survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. Here, a landowner named Marcel is listed as holding lands in Gloucestershire.

In the 12th century, a French troubadour and poet named Arnaut Marcel gained recognition for his works written in the Occitan language. He lived from around 1150 to 1225 and hailed from the region of Quercy in southern France.

During the 13th century, the name Marcel was associated with several notable individuals. Pierre Marcel, born around 1200, was a French scholar and theologian who served as the Chancellor of the University of Paris. Another Pierre Marcel, born in 1281, was a French prelate and diplomat who became the Bishop of Arras.

The 14th century saw the rise of Étienne Marcel, a prominent Parisian bourgeois and revolutionary figure. Born around 1310, he played a significant role in the early stages of the Hundred Years' War and led an uprising against the French monarchy in 1358.

In the 15th century, the name Marcel was linked to several places in France, such as the commune of Marcel in the Indre department and the town of Saint-Marcel in the Ardèche department.

Notable individuals with the surname Marcel throughout history include:

1. Claude Marcel (1793-1876), a French lawyer and politician.
2. Étienne Marcel (1310-1358), the Parisian bourgeois and revolutionary leader mentioned earlier.
3. Gabriel Marcel (1889-1973), a renowned French philosopher and Christian existentialist.
4. Jacques Marcel (1793-1850), a French scientist and inventor who contributed to the development of early photography.
5. Pierre Marcel (1281-1362), the French prelate and diplomat mentioned earlier.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Marcel

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

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 Marcel 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 Marcel 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 Marcel was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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