Marcellus is a Roman family name, a diminutive of Marcus, so it means "little Marcus" or "young warrior", since Marcus is usually tied to Mars, the god of war. The general Marcus Claudius Marcellus, the Sword of Rome, and two early popes carried it; in the United States it has long been used in African American families. Marcellus entered the top 1000 in 2018, peaked at number 732 in 2021 and ranks number 1054 in 2025.