Darcell
Feminine
Darcell is given to both — 506 girls and 170 boys since 1880. See other names given to both
Darcell sounds like Darcel, the surname the French actress Denise Darcel carried through Hollywood films such as Vera Cruz, though nothing records a family taking it from her. It is given to girls and to a real minority of boys, and the two may arrive by different roads.
How old is the name Darcell?
Darcell first appears in US birth records in 1951 — 74 years ago. The typical Darcell alive today was born around 1966, making them about 59 years old. About 500 people named Darcell are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Darcell most popular?
Darcell peaked in 1958, reaching #2376 nationally. See the whole 1958 chart.
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Darcell
Our Darcell has more than one way in. A daughter's road runs from Darcy, the Norman surname that Jane Austen made famous, with an -elle ending added; a son's road runs from Darrell, or from Marcel with its first letter changed. Both arrive at the same two syllables, dar-SELL. Beside them stands a real screen name, Darcel, carried by Denise Darcel, a French actress in Hollywood westerns. No record ties any of these to a particular child, and the name keeps all of them within reach.
Meaningnot established
Not established
No meaning is recorded for Darcell. For girls it reads as Darcy with an -elle ending; for boys it reads as Darrell with a c, or as Marcel with a D. None of these is recorded as its source, and the likeness to the screen name Darcel is only a likeness.
Pronouncing Darcell
dar-SELL
Stress on the second syllable, where the doubled l sits. DAR-sul, with the stress first, is also possible from the letters.
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1951
- Most girls named
- 198432 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2376reached in 1958
- Change vs 1989
- −36.4%7 in 1990, from 11
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Darcells among us
people named Darcell are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Darcell sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- Works for a boy or a girl without any change of spelling.
- Rhymes with Marcel and echoes Darcy, so it is said correctly on sight.
- Rare in its own right.
- Most children with this spelling are girls, so a boy named Darcell will often be taken for a girl on paper until he is met.
- Expect Darcel, Darcelle and Darsell on forms.
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What they receive
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Darcell
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Darcells are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 500 people named Darcell are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Darcell in 2025?
- Darcell is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Darcell with classmates?
- Darcell will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More D names
The most-given names starting with D, all years combined.
Dorothy#421 · Donna#1962 · Deborah#862 · Debra#4460 · Diane#2607 · Doris#2895 · Denise#1673 · Danielle#549
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Darcell? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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