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Marcel

Gender
Boy
Say it
mar-SEL
Origin
Latin
UK rank, 2025
#529 for boys
US rank, 2025
#730 for boys

Marcel is a boys' name of Latin origin, meaning “dedicated to Mars”. In 2025 it ranked 529th for boys in the UK (80 babies) and 730th for boys in the US (364 babies).

What does Marcel mean?

Latin: French form of Marcellus, a diminutive of Marcus

“dedicated to Mars”

French form of Marcellus; borne by the novelist Marcel Proust.

More on Wiktionary.

Is Marcel a girl's or a boy's name?

Marcel is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 80 boys in the UK and 364 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.

How popular is Marcel in the UK?

Rank in 2025
529th among boys
Babies in 2025
80 about 1 in 3,700 boys
Five-year trend
Falling down 51% in five years
Same name in a class
under 1% chance among 15 boys

In 2025, 80 boys in the UK were named Marcel, making it the 529th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 307th. Its busiest year was 2015, with 277 boys.

2025 had fewer boys named Marcel than any year since 2006.

Half of all the boys named Marcel in the UK since 1996 were born between 2010 and 2019, the years shaded on the chart below.

In 2025, 90 boys in the UK were given Marcel or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #467, up from #529 for this spelling alone.

Among boys in 2025, it was 556th in England and Wales and 333rd in Scotland.

1996Busiest: 277 in 20152025
Marcel in the UK, year by year
YearBoysRank
202580#529
202489#498
2023139#347
2022128#372
2021185#286
2020169#307
2019200#269
2018255#228
2017245#250
2016244#250
2015277#229
2014267#236
2013215#261
2012211#261
2011182#284
2010200#262
2009178#279
2008143#320
200796#414
200662#535
200550#590
200437#710
200329#790
200229#733
200124#796
200033#620
199931#633
199827#702
199724#741
199614#1,021

How popular is Marcel in the US?

Rank in 2025
730th among boys
Babies in 2025
364 about 1 in 4,700 boys
Five-year trend
Steady up 3% in five years
Same name in a class
under 1% chance among 15 boys

In 2025, 364 boys in the US were named Marcel, making it the 730th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 686th. Its busiest year was 2022, with 417 boys. It first appears in the records in 1881.

Half of all the boys named Marcel in the US since 1880 were born between 1962 and 2010, the years shaded on the chart below.

In 2025, 444 boys in the US were given Marcel or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #604, up from #730 for this spelling alone.

1881Busiest: 417 in 20222025
Marcel in the US, year by year
YearBoysRank
2025364#730
2024339#754
2023341#761
2022417#659
2021387#686
2020373#686
2019310#766
2018326#732
2017315#748
2016317#765
2015308#771
2014264#847
2013275#799
2012238#880
2011256#841
2010255#836
2009234#891
2008260#838
2007248#851
2006198#945
2005238#805
2004212#837
2003227#771
2002195#847
2001214#787
2000227#746
1999273#640
1998259#661
1997250#657
1996276#626
1995253#655
1994265#636
1993262#638
1992336#556
1991292#594
1990327#559
1989279#585
1988278#551
1987233#593
1986248#564
1985201#615
1984191#617
1983206#596
1982151#708
1981176#640
1980176#655
1979160#675
1978135#724
1977173#645
1976167#636
1975183#596
1974151#655
1973185#584
1972202#564
1971179#620
1970183#600
1969175#587
1968162#595
1967164#591
1966141#623
1965166#591
1964148#640
1963123#698
1962131#677
1961118#703
1960123#703
1959114#717
1958104#729
1957106#727
1956121#682
195583#800
1954107#698
1953108#685
1952108#667
195196#706
195088#730
194988#733
1948110#642
194798#697
194663#826
194575#704
194448#918
194383#703
194280#718
194159#828
194053#862
193976#681
193870#730
193769#729
193657#811
193570#731
1934100#590
193379#657
1932114#550
1931113#550
1930129#526
1929128#517
1928134#521
1927142#508
1926121#559
1925148#500
1924142#529
1923145#509
1922114#605
1921101#637
1920106#613
1919100#603
1918112#575
1917104#581
191674#690
191590#605
191463#639
191344#681
191228#835
191120#707
191011#980
19097#1,155
19088#1,021
19079#929
19069#852
19059#836
19045#1,204
19038#846
19020–
19017#857
19000–
18990–
18986#1,001
18970–
18965#1,100
18956#977
18940–
18930–
18927#860
18910–
18900–
18890–
18880–
18870–
18860–
18850–
18845#971
18830–
18820–
18815#865

Names like Marcel

Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.

Vincent, Miguel, Victor, Cruz, Roman, Abel, Maxwell, Mason, Romeo, Lorenzo, Lucas, Hector

Other spellings of Marcel

Marcell, Marsel, Marcelle

Names related to Marcel

Marcelo, Marcello, Markel, Markell, Marquel, Marcial

More Latin names

Oliver, Olivia, Leo, Aurora, Emily, Florence, Mabel, Luna, Nora, Rosie, Emilia, Max, Nova, Lucy, Julian, Clara

Every Latin name

Sources

Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.

To cite this page: Nameling, “Marcel: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/marcel, updated 20 October 2026.