Marlene
A twentieth-century American blend of Mary with the fashionable -lyn ending.
Popularity, 1880–2025
Marlene first shows up in the national records in 1904. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American girls in every year from 1931 to 1942. Its biggest year was 1936, when 5,332 newborn girls received the name, ranking it No. 39 nationally. All told, 130,932 Americans have been given the name since 1880.
Related names
Other spellings on record: Marilyn (374,857), Marlon (31,292), Marlin (22,834), Marilynn (13,282), Marlyn (9,112), Marlen (6,438) (total births since 1880)
Other names that share a story: Mary, Darlene, Arlene
Explore Marlene interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 18 | No. 1727 |
| 1910s | 263 | No. 1057 |
| 1920s | 774 | No. 603 |
| 1930s | 37,355 | No. 39 |
| 1940s | 29,295 | No. 80 |
| 1950s | 25,251 | No. 112 |
| 1960s | 12,951 | No. 208 |
| 1970s | 5,728 | No. 316 |
| 1980s | 4,769 | No. 411 |
| 1990s | 5,716 | No. 344 |
| 2000s | 5,283 | No. 485 |
| 2010s | 2,222 | No. 873 |
| 2020s | 948 | No. 1256 |
Births and rank shown for girls, the sex more often given the name. The Social Security Administration omits name–year combinations with fewer than five births.
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Data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name file, 1880–2025.