The nameMarceau

Meaning

Marceau comes from the Latin Marcellus, a diminutive of Marcus, which is often linked to Mars, the god of war.

Origin

Latin, through Old French. Marceau is the popular medieval form of Marcellus, Marcel the learned one.

History

General Marceau, a hero of the French Revolutionary Wars who died at 27, gave his name to many streets and to an avenue in Paris. The first name came back in the 2010s with the fashion for old names ending in eau, and it reached its highest level in France in recent years. Boys named Marceau celebrate their name day on Saint Marcel's feast.

Marceau in other languages

Marceau is a French form of Marcel with no real equivalent elsewhere: Marcello in Italian, Marcelo in Spanish and Portuguese, Marcellus in Latin. The revolutionary general François Séverin Marceau and the mime artist Marcel Marceau made it familiar.

Famous people named Marceau

• François Séverin Marceau, general of the French Revolution

Popularity of the name Marceau

Marceau in France

Marceau was most popular in France in the 2020s, with 12,040 births over the decade, 33% of all recorded babies named Marceau. Half of all babies named Marceau in France were born before 2013, so it is mostly a name of today's children and teenagers. Over the last five years on record, it has been rising: 2,092 births a year on average, against 1,244 in the five years before.

Marceau in Belgium

Marceau was most popular in Belgium in the 2020s, with 338 births over the decade, 64% of all recorded babies named Marceau. Half of all babies named Marceau in Belgium were born before 2021, so it is mostly a name of today's children and teenagers. Over the last five years on record, it has been rising: 62 births a year on average, against 22 in the five years before.