Marcel

Did you know?

A few things about Marcel you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Marcel

Marcel Proust

French novelist, critic and essayist (1871–1922)

Choose Marcel and your child shares a first name with Marcel Proust, a French novelist, critic and essayist. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Marcel, like who?” Marcel Proust's Wikipedia article is available in 191 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Marcel Proust on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Otto Wegener, Public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 4,693 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Marcel, 364 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Marcel would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryMarcel first shows up in US birth records in 1881, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 144 years since.
• 🏆Best yearIts best year was 1925, when it reached #500.
• 🍂TrendMarcel has slipped 44 places over the last five years and now sits at #730. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 📍Where it's lovedMarcel is most popular in Connecticut, where it ranks #382, followed by Arizona (#412) and Louisiana (#531). It's in the top 1,000 in 22 states.

About the name Marcel

Marcel is a boy name of French and Latin origin. It has 6 letters and 2 syllables, starting with M and ending in “-cel”. US birth records list Marcel for boys from 1881 to 2025, in 130 of those 145 years. Its best year was 1925, when it ranked #500 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #730, with 364 babies.

Origin:French namesLatin names