Named after the rue Étienne-Marcel, after the medieval provost of the merchants.
Étienne Marcel, born in the early 14th century, was provost of the merchants of Paris under King John II. He played a leading role in the Estates General of 1355 to 1357 and was killed on 31 July 1358 by Parisian burghers who felt he had gone too far against the crown. The street took his name in 1881.