2000
#11,580
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,488
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.92
Rare Last name
Marcello
An Italian surname derived from the Latin name Marcellus, meaning "young warrior" or "dedicated to Mars, the god of war."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,721 Americans carry the last name Marcello. That puts it at #12,475 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 125,966 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Marcello 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
2.7K
1 in 125,966
Census rank
#12,475
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,373 bearers of the surname Marcello in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12475th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Marcello, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Marcello
The surname Marcello originated in Italy and dates back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the ancient Roman personal name Marcus, which was a common name during the Roman Empire. The name Marcus is thought to have its roots in the Latin word "mas," meaning male or masculine.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Marcello can be found in the Venetian region of Italy, where it was a prominent family name among the nobility. The Marcello family played a significant role in the political and cultural life of the Venetian Republic during the medieval and Renaissance periods.
In the 14th century, a notable figure was Nicolò Marcello, a Venetian merchant and diplomat who served as the ambassador to Genoa and Constantinople. He was born around 1320 and died in 1397.
Another prominent individual with the surname Marcello was Pietro Marcello, a Venetian nobleman and military commander who lived in the 15th century. He played a crucial role in defending Venice against the Ottoman Empire during the Ottoman-Venetian Wars.
The Marcello family also produced several notable artists and musicians. One of the most renowned was Benedetto Marcello, a Venetian composer and writer who lived from 1686 to 1739. He is best known for his works in the Baroque style, including his operas and instrumental compositions.
In the 17th century, a member of the Marcello family, Gian Francesco Marcello, served as the Doge (ruler) of Venice from 1656 to 1657.
Beyond Italy, the surname Marcello has spread to other parts of the world, particularly through migration and intermarriage. In Spain, for example, the surname is sometimes spelled as Marcelo, reflecting the linguistic and cultural influences of the region.
While the origins and historical references of the surname Marcello can be traced back to medieval Italy, it has since become a surname found in various parts of the world, reflecting the global reach and impact of Italian culture and history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Marcello
Among Census respondents with the surname Marcello, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Marcello 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 Marcello surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.2% · 2,046
- Hispanic or Latino6.4% · 151
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.8% · 66
- Black or African American2.6% · 61
- Two or more races2.1% · 49
Timeline
Historical Census data for Marcello
Marcello 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
#11,250
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,810
+322 bearers (+12.9%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Up 330 places
2020
#12,475
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,373
-437 bearers (-15.6%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Down 1,225 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,580 | 2,488 | 0.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,250 | 2,810 | 0.95 | +322 bearers (+12.9%) | Up 330 places |
| 2020 | #12,475 | 2,373 | 0.79 | -437 bearers (-15.6%) | Down 1,225 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 Marcello 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 | #11,250 | #12,475 | -10.9% |
| Count | 2,810 | 2,373 | -15.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.95 | 0.79 | -16.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Marcello bearers went from 2,810 to 2,373 (-15.6% change). The surname moved down 1,225 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,250 to #12,475.
FAQ
Marcello surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Marcello?
Name Census estimates that about 2,721 living Americans carry the surname Marcello. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 125,966 residents.
How common is Marcello?
Marcello ranks #12,475 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.79 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,373 people with the surname Marcello. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,721), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.79 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Marcello.
Has Marcello become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Marcello went from 2,810 recorded bearers to 2,373. That is a decrease of 437 (-15.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,250 to #12,475.
What does the Census say about the background of Marcello?
Among Census respondents with the surname Marcello, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.8%). 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 Marcello in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.2% (2,046 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Marcello appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.2%), Hispanic (6.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.8%). 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 Marcello (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 Marcello mean?
An Italian surname derived from the Latin name Marcellus, meaning "young warrior" or "dedicated to Mars, the 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 Marcello (0.79 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 common is the surname Marcello?
Find out how many people have the surname Marcello on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.