Marcel

Spellings & scripts●

Locally spelled Марсель in RU Russia, KZ Kazakhstan, KG Kyrgyzstan and 1 more, מרסל in IL Israel and Marsel in AL Albania.

Spellings marked ● are how people bearing the name write it in our records; ○ marks a model's transliteration. Click a spelling to open its page.

Meaning & origin●

Attested across 5 languages in the etymology graph.

Languages●

Language is read off each record's context, not declared by the bearer; a share is of all records for this spelling.

Other names spelled this way◐

Marcel is also recorded as 6 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• a separate given name29K records spelled Marcel4 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in India, United States, Netherlands, Switzerland

  Also written Marcél, Marçel, Marčel

• Romanian given name15K records spelled Marcel5 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Moldova, Romania, United States, Spain

  Also written Marceĺ, Marćel, Marčel

• Hungarian given name9.8K records spelled Marcel4 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Finland, Slovenia, Switzerland, Netherlands

  Languages: Hungarian, Finnish, Estonian

  Also written Marćel

• Catalan given name6.3K records spelled Marcel2 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Spain, Andorra

  Also written Marcellus

• Swahili given name5.6K records spelled Marcel3 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, Nigeria, South Africa, Netherlands

  Languages: Swahili, Southern Sotho

  Also written Marcél

• Indonesian given name5.2K records spelled Marcel2 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Indonesia, United States, Netherlands, Philippines

  Also written 'Marcel

85 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Other recorded senses●

Marcel is also recorded in 5 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• French: from the Latin name Marcellus, originally a diminutive of Marcus. The name has always been popular in France as it was borne by a 3rd-century missionary to Gaul, martyred at Bourges with his companion Anastasius. It is now occasionally also used in the English-speaking world.

  as a name·A concise dictionary of first names

• from the personal name Marcel (Latin Marcellus, a diminutive of Marcus (see Mark 1), which was borne by a 3rd-century missionary to Gaul who was martyred at Bourges with his companion Anastasius).

  as a name·Dictionary of American Family Names

• From Latin Marcellus, a diminutive of }Marcus (see main dictionary). It owes its popularity in France to a 3rdcentury missionary of this name, martyred at Bourges. Feminine form: Marcelle.

  as a name·A concise dictionary of first names

• In French, a male given name, equivalent to English Marcel, traditionally popular in France, borne by a 3rd century saint

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

• In English, A hairstyle characterized by deep waves made by a curling iron.

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

Over time●

US SSA — National Baby Names (1880–present) — 130 years between 1881–2025. One register's own figures, never a sum across registers: two registers counting the same people would double them.

Notable people with this name●

• Marcellus Ib. 255ITnot in their usual namepope
• Marcellus IIb. 1501ITnot in their usual namepope of the Catholic Church and bishop of Rome from 9 April to 1 May 1555
• Marcel Proustb. 1871FRFrench novelist, critic and essayist (1871–1922)
• Marcel Maussb. 1872FRFrench sociologist and anthropologist (1872-1950)
• Marcel Ophulsb. 1927FRGerman-French filmmaker (1927–2025)
• Jean-Claude Brialyb. 1933FRnot in their usual nameFrench actor and director (1933-2007)
• Alain Delonb. 1935FRnot in their usual nameFrench actor (1935–2024)
• Gérard Depardieub. 1948FRnot in their usual nameFrench actor (born 1948)
• Marcel Sabitzerb. 1994ATAustrian footballer
• Benjamin Pavardb. 1996FRnot in their usual nameFrench footballer (born 1996)

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

Evidence●

Register rows as of the 2026-09-12 data build · 1,651 rows in the corpus for this spelling.

Frequently asked questions

How common is the name Marcel?

We estimate roughly 648 thousand people bear Marcel (counting its spellings and scripts) across 11 countries in our records.

In which country does Marcel have the most bearers?

We estimate about 471 thousand people bear Marcel in France, more than in any other country in our records, where it is most often spelled marcel.

Where is Marcel most common?

Marcel is densest in France, where the national register counts about 1 in 144 people carrying it.

How common is Marcel compared with other names?

In France, Marcel is the 14th most common given name of 711,207 given names recorded there.

Is Marcel a male or female name?

Marcel is a male name in our records. Opposite-gender entries fall within the cross-gender noise we measure in the source data, so we don't report them as usage.

What does the name Marcel mean?

Recorded meaning: From Latin Marcellus, diminutive of Marcus; linked to Mars.