2000
#27,721
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 817
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.30
Very Rare Last name
Marcil
French surname derived from the Latin "marcellus" meaning little warrior or young soldier.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 828 Americans carry the last name Marcil. That puts it at #33,884 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 413,955 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Marcil 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
828
1 in 413,955
Census rank
#33,884
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
722
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 722 bearers of the surname Marcil in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 33884th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Marcil, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.2%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Marcil
The surname MARCIL is believed to have originated in France during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "marcil," which referred to a small hamlet or village. This name likely originated in rural areas of northern France, where many small settlements existed.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name MARCIL can be found in the Livre des Bourgeois de Rouen, a register of citizens in the city of Rouen, Normandy, dating back to the 13th century. This suggests that individuals bearing this surname were present in the region at that time.
In the 14th century, records show a Jacques MARCIL residing in the village of Évreux, located in the northern French province of Normandy. This provides evidence of the name's continued presence in the region during that era.
During the 16th century, the surname MARCIL appeared in various records throughout France. Notably, a Jean MARCIL was born in 1542 in the town of Châlons-en-Champagne, situated in the northeastern part of the country. He was a prominent merchant and landowner, establishing the family's presence in the region.
In the 17th century, a significant figure bearing the name MARCIL was Pierre MARCIL, born in 1612 in the village of Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray, near Rouen. He was a respected priest and theologian who authored several religious texts that were widely circulated during his lifetime.
Another notable individual with the surname MARCIL was Marie-Anne MARCIL, born in 1732 in the town of Vire, Normandy. She was a well-known artist and painter, renowned for her intricate portraits and landscape paintings, which are still exhibited in various museums across France.
As the name MARCIL spread throughout France, it also found its way to other parts of Europe and eventually to the Americas through immigration. Records show individuals bearing this surname arriving in Canada and the United States in the 18th and 19th centuries, further establishing the name's presence in these regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Marcil
Among Census respondents with the surname Marcil, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.2%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Marcil 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 Marcil surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.5% · 610
- Hispanic or Latino7.2% · 52
- Two or more races3.2% · 23
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.6% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 12
- Black or African American0.8% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Marcil
Marcil 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
#25,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 992
+175 bearers (+21.4%)
Per 100,000 0.34
Rank movement Up 2,684 places
2020
#33,884
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 722
-270 bearers (-27.2%)
Per 100,000 0.24
Rank movement Down 8,847 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #27,721 | 817 | 0.30 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #25,037 | 992 | 0.34 | +175 bearers (+21.4%) | Up 2,684 places |
| 2020 | #33,884 | 722 | 0.24 | -270 bearers (-27.2%) | Down 8,847 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 Marcil 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 | #25,037 | #33,884 | -35.3% |
| Count | 992 | 722 | -27.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.34 | 0.24 | -29.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Marcil bearers went from 992 to 722 (-27.2% change). The surname moved down 8,847 positions in the national ranking, going from #25,037 to #33,884.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Marcil
FAQ
Marcil surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Marcil?
Name Census estimates that about 828 living Americans carry the surname Marcil. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 413,955 residents.
How common is Marcil?
Marcil ranks #33,884 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.24 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 722 people with the surname Marcil. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (828), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.24 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 Marcil.
Has Marcil become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Marcil went from 992 recorded bearers to 722. That is a decrease of 270 (-27.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #25,037 to #33,884.
What does the Census say about the background of Marcil?
Among Census respondents with the surname Marcil, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.2%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Marcil in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.5% (610 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Marcil appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.5%), Hispanic (7.2%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Marcil (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 Marcil mean?
French surname derived from the Latin "marcellus" meaning little warrior or young soldier. 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 Marcil (0.24 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 Americans have the surname Marcil?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.