Total births
65,614
Girls' name · since 1880
Marcella
Marcella has 65,614 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1922 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #1053
- among girls today
- 65,614
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 94%
- more common than other girls
65,614 babies have been named Marcella since 1880, making it today's #1053 girls' name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Marcella has been recorded 65,614 times among girls since 1880, currently ranked #1053 nationally and more common than 94% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1920s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #1053 among girls today
- 65,614 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
- 94% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Marcella is currently the #1053 girls' name in America, more common than 94% of girls - 65,614 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #1053
- among girls today
- 65,614
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 94%
- more common than other girls
Marcella vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#1053
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 94% of names given to girls today.
1920s
Peak decade
20% of everyone ever named Marcella was born in this single decade.
1922
Single peak year
1,537 babies were named Marcella in 1922 - its busiest year on record.
How Marcella compares
65,614 Top 3% higher than 97% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls 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
Marcella's all-time total is 172x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Marcella | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 65,614 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 1,537 | 48 | 19,840 |
Marcella's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Marcella's full recorded timeline at 1953, 38% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 62% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1881, with just 10 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1922 peak of 1,537 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Marcella at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1922
Current rank
#1,053
Active since
1880
Marcella popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1922)
- 1,537
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Marcella popularity over time - boys
222 total births recorded since 1911 (Marcella as boys' name)
Marcella by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Marcella's strongest decade.
13,397 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 20% of all-time use.
Marcella births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 222
1880s
222 births
- 1890s 706
1890s
706 births
- 1900s 1,762
1900s
1,762 births
- 1910s
1910s
8,080 births
- 1920s
1920s
13,397 births
- 1930s
1930s
7,915 births
- 1940s
1940s
6,676 births
- 1950s
1950s
6,616 births
- 1960s
1960s
5,984 births
- 1970s 3,891
1970s
3,891 births
- 1980s 2,787
1980s
2,787 births
- 1990s 2,306
1990s
2,306 births
- 2000s 1,934
2000s
1,934 births
- 2010s 1,897
2010s
1,897 births
- 2020s 1,441
2020s
1,441 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 13,397 births (20% of all-time use).
How Marcella compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Marcella's total volume
Marcella vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Marcella by state
Where Marcella concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Illinois | | 4,797 | 7.3% |
| #2 | California | | 4,712 | 7.2% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 4,640 | 7.1% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 4,371 | 6.7% |
| #5 | New York | | 3,427 | 5.2% |
| #6 | Wisconsin | | 3,121 | 4.8% |
| #7 | Minnesota | | 3,005 | 4.6% |
| #8 | Texas | | 2,529 | 3.9% |
Illinois share of Marcella's total US births 7.3%
Even split
4,797 of 65,614 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 49 reporting states.
Marcella appears in 49 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Marcella? ▼
65,614 babies have been named Marcella since 1880. It currently ranks #1053 among girls. The peak year was 1922 with 1,537 births.
When was Marcella most popular? ▼
Marcella was most popular in the 1920s decade with 13,397 total births. The single peak year was 1922.
Where is Marcella most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Marcella are Illinois (4,797 births), California (4,712 births), Pennsylvania (4,640 births).
How long has the name Marcella been used? ▼
Marcella has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Marcella? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Mary, Margaret, Maria, Martha, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Marcella's data
- Marcella's decade-level peak was the 1920s (13,397 total births); usage has since declined to 1,441 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Illinois records the most Marcellas (4,797 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Illinois 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 Marcella
Nearby Names Like Marcella
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Marcella
Mary Girl
#131 4,141,481 births
Margaret Girl
#119 1,264,774 births
Maria Girl
#74 566,111 births
Martha Girl
#666 551,741 births
Marie Girl
#632 540,077 births
Compare Marcella side by side: Marcella vs Mary Marcella vs Margaret Marcella vs Maria
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Marcella
Mattie #1052
133,079 births · Peak 1920
Casey #1054
78,100 births · Peak 1987
Dalilah #1051
5,135 births · Peak 2008
Kimora #1055
9,869 births · Peak 2008
Whitney #1050
97,663 births · Peak 1986
Antonia #1056
34,222 births · Peak 1996
Eliyanah #1049
1,601 births · Peak 2024
Montana #1057
8,815 births · Peak 1998
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, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Marcella: #1053 Girls' Name - 65,614 Births, Peak 1922." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/marcella. 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 Marcella 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.