Total births
20,131
Boys' name · since 1881
Marcel
20,131 babies named Marcel in U.S. Social Security records since 1881, with the highest year being 2022. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #754
- among boys today
- 20,131
- born since 1881
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 95%
- more common than other boys
Marcel currently ranks #754 among boys' names in America, with 20,131 babies recorded since 1881.
Social Security Administration records show Marcel recorded 20,131 times among boys since 1881, holding rank #754 nationally today, ahead of 95% of boys, peaking in the 2010s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1881 to 2025.
- #754 among boys today
- 20,131 born since 1881
- 2010s peak decade
- 95% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Marcel is currently the #754 boys' name in America, more common than 95% of boys - 20,131 born since 1881, peaking in the 2010s.
- #754
- among boys today
- 20,131
- born since 1881
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 95%
- more common than other boys
Marcel vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#754
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 95% of names given to boys today.
2010s
Peak decade
14% of everyone ever named Marcel was born in this single decade.
2022
Single peak year
417 babies were named Marcel in 2022 - its busiest year on record.
How Marcel compares
20,131 Top 6% higher than 94% of 14,294 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Marcel's all-time total is 55x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Marcel | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 20,131 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 417 | 23 | 22,252 |
Marcel's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Marcel splits its recorded history at 1961: 76% of all births land in the more recent half, 24% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1881 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2022 peak of 417 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Marcel at a glance
Top 1,000 boys' namePeak year
2022
Current rank
#754
Active since
1881
Marcel popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1881–2025
- Peak year (2022)
- 417
- Annual births at peak, across 145 years of records
Marcel popularity over time - girls
992 total births recorded since 1915 (Marcel as girls' name)
Marcel by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2010s was Marcel's strongest decade.
2,864 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 14% of all-time use.
Marcel births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 10
1880s
10 births
- 1890s 24
1890s
24 births
- 1900s 62
1900s
62 births
- 1910s 646
1910s
646 births
- 1920s
1920s
1,281 births
- 1930s 877
1930s
877 births
- 1940s 757
1940s
757 births
- 1950s 1,035
1950s
1,035 births
- 1960s
1960s
1,451 births
- 1970s
1970s
1,718 births
- 1980s
1980s
2,139 births
- 1990s
1990s
2,793 births
- 2000s
2000s
2,253 births
- 2010s
2010s
2,864 births
- 2020s
2020s
2,221 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 2,864 births (14% of all-time use).
How Marcel compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Marcel's total volume
Marcel vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Marcel by state
Where Marcel concentrates geographically, total births since 1881
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 2,667 | 13.2% |
| #2 | New York | | 1,698 | 8.4% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 1,106 | 5.5% |
| #4 | Florida | | 1,028 | 5.1% |
| #5 | Michigan | | 936 | 4.6% |
| #6 | Texas | | 893 | 4.4% |
| #7 | Massachusetts | | 766 | 3.8% |
| #8 | Louisiana | | 701 | 3.5% |
California share of Marcel's total US births 13.2%
Even split
2,667 of 20,131 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 40 reporting states.
Marcel appears in 40 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Marcel? ▼
Marcel has been given to 20,131 babies in the U.S. since 1881, according to SSA data. Among boys, it ranks #754 as of the latest data. 417 babies were born in 2022, its single highest year.
When was Marcel most popular? ▼
Marcel was most popular in the 2010s decade with 2,864 total births. The single peak year was 2022.
Where is Marcel most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Marcel are California (2,667 births), New York (1,698 births), Illinois (1,106 births).
How long has the name Marcel been used? ▼
Records for Marcel go back to 1881, giving 145 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Marcel? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Mark, Martin, Marvin, Marcus, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Marcel's data
- Marcel's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (2,864 total births) through the 2020s (2,221) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Marcels (2,667 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Marcel
Nearby Names Like Marcel
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Marcel
Mark Boy
#244 1,362,176 births
Martin Boy
#307 315,561 births
Marvin Boy
#671 254,192 births
Marcus Boy
#256 241,657 births
Mario Boy
#398 151,310 births
Compare Marcel side by side: Marcel vs Mark Marcel vs Martin Marcel vs Marvin
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Marcel
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1881–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Marcel: #754 Boys' Name - 20,131 Births, Peak 2022." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/marcel. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Marcel draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.