Baby Names US
girls' name ★ peaked 1999

Marcela

Gender Girl Rank 2025 #1,554 Trend ↑ Rising 17%
Rank 2025
#1,554
among girls · ↓76 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
136
named Marcela · -8% vs 2024
How common
1 in 11,818
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1999
210 babies
All-time total
8,955
#1,796 all-time among girls
First recorded
1908
in Social Security records

Marcela popularity over time

8,955 babies have been named Marcela since 1908, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.040.080.110.1518801900192019401960198020002020Peak 1999Girls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – –
1890s – – – –
1900s 9 1 – #1,505
1910s 38 4 +322% #2,460
1920s 182 18 +379% #1,633
1930s 129 13 -29% #1,815
1940s 120 12 -7% #2,150
1950s 156 16 +30% #2,194
1960s 408 41 +162% #1,412
1970s 975 98 +139% #1,065
1980s 1,393 139 +43% #1,030
1990s 1,802 180 +29% #947
2000s 1,777 178 -1% #1,070
2010s 1,188 119 -33% #1,536
2020s (to 2025) 778 130 +9% #1,478

Where Marcela is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 139 0.09 outside top 500
2027 141 0.09 outside top 500
2028 143 0.09 outside top 500
2029 145 0.09 outside top 500
2030 146 0.09 outside top 500

Where Marcela is most popular

Girls named Marcela per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.083 per 1,000. Strongest in Florida, Texas, and California.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Marcela born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Florida 88 0.206 +148%
Texas 163 0.203 +144%
California 106 0.126 +52%
Georgia 15 0.066 -20%
Virginia 10 0.059 -29%
Colorado 6 0.054 -35%
Alabama 5 0.053 -36%
New York 15 0.038 -54%
New Jersey 5 0.028 -67%
Illinois 6 0.026 -68%
Pennsylvania 5 0.021 -75%
Alaska – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Carolina – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Ohio – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Marcela

Marcela is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #1,554 in 2025 with 136 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1908, 8,955 American babies have been named Marcela. Its peak came in 1999, when 210 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1990s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Marcela stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Marcela?

The median living Marcela is about 28 years old; half are between 17 and 41. An estimated 8,400 people named Marcela are alive in the United States today.

median 28 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Marcela year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank
2025 136 #1,554
2024 148 #1,478
2023 145 #1,497
2022 115 #1,788
2021 129 #1,626
2020 105 #1,854
2019 141 #1,536
2018 132 #1,621
2017 108 #1,884
2016 127 #1,687
2015 103 #1,958
2014 112 #1,826
2013 114 #1,804
2012 119 #1,738
2011 110 #1,836
2010 122 #1,718
2009 137 #1,638
2008 175 #1,377
2007 163 #1,449
2006 174 #1,340
2005 180 #1,257
2004 206 #1,113
2003 201 #1,099
2002 178 #1,159
2001 199 #1,070
2000 164 #1,216
1995 178 #1,027
1990 171 #1,048
1985 142 #1,047
1980 131 #1,080
1975 100 #1,158
1970 84 #1,290
1965 21 #2,719
1960 34 #1,966
1955 11 #3,706
1950 7 #4,575
1945 7 #3,882
1940 15 #2,169
1935 13 #2,388
1930 17 #2,081
1925 22 #1,876
1920 15 #2,426
1915 7 #3,659
1910 – –
1905 – –
1900 – –
1895 – –
1890 – –
1885 – –
1880 – –

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Marcela, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Marcela?

The median living Marcela is about 28 years old. Half of all living Marcelas are between 17 and 41 years old.

How many people named Marcela are alive today?

An estimated 8,400 people named Marcela are alive in the United States, based on 8,955 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Marcela in 2025?

Marcela ranked #1,554 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 136 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Marcela?

8,955 babies have been named Marcela in the United States since 1908, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Marcela most popular?

Marcela peaked in 1999, when 210 newborns received the name.

Is Marcela a boy or girl name?

Marcela is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Marcela rising or falling?

Marcela is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Marcela become more popular?

Marcela is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 146 girls named Marcela in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Marcela

Names that sound and feel close to Marcela: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Marcela with similar names → More names starting with M →