Meaning: Its source is Marcia, a Latin name meaning "Dedicated to Mars, the Roman god of war."

Languages: This girl's name is used in English, Latin and Italian.

Alternative Spellings: Marcela

Variant Forms: Marchelle, Marcile and Maricela

Popularity: The name Marcella ranked 411th in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.

This name is highly rated in the 1990 U.S. Census popularity survey of all ages, but after 1960 does not appear in the state data listing the most popular baby names.

Narrative: Mars was the Roman god of war, known to the Greeks as Ares.

In Homer's Iliad, the god is portrayed as a whining bully. To the world-conquering Romans he was a more desirable figure, as is demonstrated by the numerous Latin-based names dedicated to Mars.