Meaning and background
The story behind Marcellus
Marcellus has an ancient Roman naming history. Behind the Name identifies it as a cognomen, originally a diminutive of Marcus, and notes that two popes bore the name. That gives the full spelling a documented historical role rather than treating its final syllables as decorative. Its recorded Classical Latin pronunciation differs from some modern English readings, so a namesake's own usage may guide an owner's preferred pronunciation.
- Origin
- Roman cognomen originally formed as a diminutive of Marcus. Source
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About Marcellus
Recorded as a dog’s name
Marcellus appears in 2 dog licence records in the 2022 New York City dataset.
How to read this count
These records cover New York City and may count the same dog in more than one licence period. They are not a national popularity ranking.
Pronunciation and rhythm
/mɑɹsɛləs/
US English sound sequence, converted from the CMU dictionary. Stress marks are shown separately.
Stress on the second syllable in the recorded US readings.
View dictionary notation
/mɑɹsɛləs/ · primary stress on syllable 2M AA0 R S EH1 L AH0 S
These are US dictionary readings. Personal, regional and other language pronunciations may differ.
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Sources and research notes (2)
- New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene NYC Dog Licensing Dataset — all seven available extract years, retrieved 24 October 2026 — Recorded name spellings in NYC licence-period rows, extract years 2016–2018, 2022–2024 and 2026. Evidence selects one stated year per name. Annual snapshots overlap; never sum them as unique dogs. No national popularity, etymology or owner naming-intent claim.
- Carnegie Mellon University / CMU Sphinx maintainers CMU US English Pronouncing Dictionary — US English dictionary readings; not owner-specific or exhaustive multilingual pronunciation
References support the individual facts shown. A source link does not mean the entire profile has been verified.