Marcella
Marcella was the 948th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 272 babies. Its best year was 1922, when it ranked 155th with 1,537 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 444 places. More babies were named Marcella in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning feminine of Marcellus, from Marcus · Latin
Say it mar-SEL-uh /mɑrˈsɛlə/
- Rank in 2025
- #948 girls, up 90 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 272girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19221,537 babies
- Total since 1880
- 65,836babies recorded
What does the name Marcella mean?
Marcella is the feminine of the Roman name Marcellus, which began as a diminutive of Marcus. DMNES explains Marcus as coming either from Mars, the Roman god of war, or from an Etruscan name of unknown meaning, so the "Mars" link is likely but not certain. DMNES lists a Roman saint Marcella of the early 5th century. In the US Marcella was most common in the 1910s and 1920s.
Marcellus (Latin, “diminutive of Marcus”)Mars (Latin, “Roman god of war (probable source of Marcus)”)
How sure is this? Probable. Marcus is usually linked to the god Mars, but DMNES also allows an Etruscan origin of unknown meaning.
Related names: Marcelle, Marcelina, Marcia, Marcy, Marcellus.
See also: Latin names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Marcella', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Marcella', DMNES (Durham University)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Marcel', DMNES (Durham University)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Mark', DMNES (Durham University)
Nicknames for Marcella
The usual nicknames for Marcella are Marcy. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Marcella in the last five years, 16 were named Marcy, against 19 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marcy · also for Marcia | Traditional | #3,500 | 195 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Marcellas go by each one.
Marcella popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 222 since 1911.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #948 | 272 |
| 2020 | #1,038 | 243 |
| 2010 | #1,463 | 155 |
| 2000 | #1,026 | 206 |
| 1990 | #759 | 272 |
| 1980 | #531 | 356 |
| 1970 | #430 | 511 |
| 1960 | #379 | 628 |
| 1950 | #300 | 673 |
| 1940 | #237 | 715 |
| 1930 | #186 | 1,035 |
| 1920 | #161 | 1,404 |
| 1910 | #219 | 295 |
| 1900 | #296 | 125 |
| 1890 | #382 | 43 |
| 1880 | #461 | 14 |
How popular is Marcella, counting every spelling?
Marcella is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #911 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #948 for Marcella on its own. Together these spellings went to 272 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marcella | 272 | #948 | 1,198 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Marcella?
272 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Marcella (0.08 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Marcella born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 31 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Marcella.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Marcella?
About 29,800 people born in the US named Marcella are alive today, with a median age of 59; half are between 36 and 73. That makes Marcella a name most people associate with older generations. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Marcella by state
How common Marcella was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Wisconsin (2.7×), Minnesota (2.3×), Ohio (2.3×), Indiana (1.8×), Missouri (1.7×). In 24 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Marcella: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Marcella, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Marcella · Sibling names for Marcella
Questions about the name Marcella
What does Marcella mean?
Marcella means “feminine of Marcellus, from Marcus” (Latin origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Marcella?
Marcella was the 948th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 272 babies. Its best year was 1922, when it ranked 155th with 1,537 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 444 places. More babies were named Marcella in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Marcella a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Marcella in the US.
Where is Marcella most popular?
In 2021–2025, Marcella was most common in Wisconsin (0.40 per 1,000 girls), followed by Minnesota and Ohio.