2000
#127,186
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Marcelis
A variant of Marcel, derived from Mars, the Roman god of war.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Marcelis. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Marcelis surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Marcelis in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Marcelis, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.6%. The next largest groups are Black (11.0%) and Two or More Races (6.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Marcelis
The surname Marcelis is of Dutch origin, originating in the Netherlands during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the personal name Marcellus, which has Latin roots and means "young warrior" or "little warrior." The name Marcellus was relatively popular during the Roman Empire and was later adopted by early Christians.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Marcelis can be traced back to the 14th century in various regions of the Netherlands, including the provinces of North Holland, South Holland, and Utrecht. In these areas, the name was often spelled as Marcilis, Marsilis, or Marssilis, reflecting the regional dialects and variations in spelling at the time.
One notable historical reference to the name Marcelis can be found in the records of the city of Leiden, where a certain Pieter Marcelis is mentioned as a prominent citizen and council member in the late 15th century. Additionally, the name appears in several medieval Dutch manuscripts, such as the "Stadsrekeningen van Amsterdam" (City Accounts of Amsterdam), which date back to the 16th century.
Among the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Marcelis are Jan Marcelis (born around 1550), a merchant from Rotterdam, and Adriaen Marcelis (1580-1638), a respected artist and engraver from Utrecht. Another notable figure was Dirck Marcelis (1610-1675), a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his still-life paintings and genre scenes.
In the 17th century, the Marcelis surname gained prominence with the rise of the Dutch East India Company (VOC). One prominent individual was Pieter Marcelis (1628-1694), a Dutch navigator and explorer who served as the commander of several VOC expeditions to the East Indies and South Africa.
Another significant figure was Jan Marcelis (1658-1731), a Dutch military officer and colonial administrator who served as the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies from 1727 to 1731. He played a crucial role in strengthening the Dutch presence in the region and oversaw the expansion of the VOC's trading activities.
Throughout history, the Marcelis surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including merchants, artists, explorers, and government officials. While the name has Dutch roots, it has also been adopted by people in other parts of Europe and beyond, reflecting the spread of Dutch influence and migration patterns over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Marcelis
Among Census respondents with the surname Marcelis, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.6%. The next largest groups are Black (11.0%) and Two or More Races (6.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Marcelis bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Marcelis surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.6% · 88
- Black or African American11.0% · 13
- Two or more races6.8% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Marcelis
Marcelis appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#129,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
+7 bearers (+5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,639 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-13 bearers (-9.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,686 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,186 | 124 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #129,825 | 131 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+5.6%) | Down 2,639 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -13 bearers (-9.9%) | Down 13,686 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Marcelis surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #129,825 | #143,511 | -10.5% |
| Count | 131 | 118 | -9.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Marcelis bearers went from 131 to 118 (-9.9% change). The surname moved down 13,686 positions in the national ranking, going from #129,825 to #143,511.
FAQ
Marcelis surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Marcelis?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Marcelis. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Marcelis?
Marcelis ranks #143,511 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 118 people with the surname Marcelis. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Marcelis.
Has Marcelis become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Marcelis went from 131 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 13 (-9.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #129,825 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Marcelis?
Among Census respondents with the surname Marcelis, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.6%. The next largest groups are Black (11.0%) and Two or More Races (6.8%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Marcelis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.6% (88 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Marcelis appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.6%), Black (11.0%), Two or More Races (6.8%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Marcelis (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Marcelis mean?
A variant of Marcel, derived from Mars, the Roman god of war. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Marcelis (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Marcelis?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.