girl's name
Marcia
MAR-shuh
- Origin Latin
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 134,798
Ireland
#483
1978 births
Marcia means dedicated to Mars, and that god's name is also where the month of March comes from — the Roman year began in March, because that was when the campaigning season opened up again after the winter.
- Marcia is a name of Latin origin.
- Peaked in 1951, when 5,305 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 73,676 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Marcia over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 187 |
| 1890s | 290 |
| 1900s | 387 |
| 1910s | 1,608 |
| 1920s | 4,795 |
| 1930s | 14,292 |
| 1940s | 34,478 |
| 1950s | 43,801 |
| 1960s | 18,472 |
| 1970s | 8,998 |
| 1980s | 3,583 |
| 1990s | 1,362 |
| 2000s | 700 |
| 2010s | 419 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 232 |
What Marcia means
Marcia means dedicated to Mars, or warlike. The Roman family name descends from the war god, so the sense is dedication rather than a personal quality.
Where Marcia comes from
Marcia is the feminine of the Roman Marcius, from Mars — the god of war, and by extension of agriculture, which is less contradictory than it sounds in a society where both were seasonal and both belonged to men of fighting age. The month of March carries his name because the Roman year began there, when campaigning resumed after winter. Marcus, Mark, Marcus Aurelius, Marco and Marcella all descend from the same god-name, making it one of the most productive in European naming.
Marcia in use
Marcia peaked in the United States in 1951, when 5,305 babies were registered, and our data marks it stable rather than falling. It charts in three of the seven markets we track — 2507th in England and Wales on 11 births, 2984th in France on 10 and 3419th in the United States on 45 — across 134,798 lifetime births. England ranks it above America despite the American peak being far larger.
How popular is Marcia?
In 2025, Marcia was given to 45 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Marcia is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Marcia
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Marcia also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Marcia over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Marcia
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Marcia in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
- Other forms
- Forms we hold no single language for — some are used across several, some are simply spelled differently.
- Mercia
Sibling names for Marcia
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Marcia — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Marcia
What does the name Marcia mean?
Dedicated to Mars — the Roman god of war.
Is March named after the same god?
Yes. The Roman year began in March, when campaigning resumed after winter.
Is it Marcia or Marsha?
Marcia is the Latin spelling; Marsha is a phonetic respelling of the same name.
How popular is Marcia?
2507th in England and Wales and 3419th in the United States.
Is Marcia a girl's or a boy's name?
Marcia is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Marcia?
Marcia has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Marcia?
Marcia is usually shortened to Marcy.
Is Marcia a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Marcia currently ranks #2,507 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.