Marshal
Marshal was the 3421st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 34 babies. Its best year was 1881, when it ranked 631st; the most babies were born in 1999 (95). Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,296 places. More babies were named Marshal in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Marshall) horse servant; later a high officer · English, Old French, Frankish
- Rank in 2025
- #3,421 boys, up 278 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 34boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 199995 babies
- Total since 1880
- 5,559babies recorded
What does the name Marshal mean?
Marshal is a spelling of Marshall, pronounced the same way, so it shares Marshall's meaning and origin.
Marshall is an English and Scottish surname from the word marshal. It goes back through Old French mareschal to a Frankish compound meaning "horse servant", which first meant someone who cared for horses and later a high royal officer. Harrison (1918) glosses it "horse-servant, farrier" and later "official". Wiktionary adds French and German surname sources. It has been used as a first name since the 19th century.
mareschal (Old French, “farrier; marshal”)*marhskalk (Frankish, “horse servant”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Marshal, Marsh.
See also: English names, names from occupations.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Marshall', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Henry Harrison, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary, vol. 2 (1918), s.v. 'MARSHAL', Morland Press (public domain; Internet Archive scan)
Marshal popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 74 since 1952.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #3,421 | 34 |
| 2020 | #3,699 | 29 |
| 2010 | #2,455 | 51 |
| 2000 | #1,633 | 72 |
| 1990 | #1,392 | 65 |
| 1980 | #1,234 | 56 |
| 1970 | #1,408 | 36 |
| 1960 | #1,472 | 30 |
| 1950 | #1,228 | 35 |
| 1940 | #1,552 | 20 |
| 1930 | #998 | 47 |
| 1920 | #1,102 | 42 |
| 1910 | #1,174 | 9 |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | #1,099 | 5 |
| 1880 | #721 | 8 |
How popular is Marshal, counting every spelling?
Marshal is a spelling of Marshall, a name family that ranked #342 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #3,421 for Marshal on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,011 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marshall | 977 | #340 | 4,332 |
| Marshal | 34 | #3,421 | 193 |
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 Marshal?
34 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Marshal (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Marshal 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 247 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Marshal.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Marshal?
About 3,900 people born in the US named Marshal are alive today, with a median age of 32; half are between 20 and 49. That makes Marshal mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
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.
Marshal by state
How common Marshal was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. In 49 states fewer than five boys 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 Marshal: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Marshal, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Marshal
What does Marshal mean?
Marshal is a spelling of Marshall, which means “horse servant; later a high officer” (English, Old French, Frankish origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Marshal?
Marshal was the 3421st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 34 babies. Its best year was 1881, when it ranked 631st; the most babies were born in 1999 (95). Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,296 places. More babies were named Marshal in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Is Marshal a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Marshal in the US.
Where is Marshal most popular?
In 2021–2025, Marshal was most common in California (0.01 per 1,000 boys), followed by Texas and Texas.