Marla
Marla is a female given name in English. It is a variant of the name Marlene, which comes from Mary Magdalene, the biblical woman to whom Jesus Christ first appeared after his resurrection.
Meaning & Origin of Marla
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Marla is a female given name in English. It is a variant of the name Marlene, which comes from Mary Magdalene, the biblical woman to whom Jesus Christ first appeared after his resurrection.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Marla
Marla first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1912, with 6 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1955, when 1,725 Marlas were born — ranking #193 that year. As of 2026, Marla ranks #2,200 for baby girls with 86 births, rising sharply (+18% over the past five years). In total, more than 39K Marlas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1910s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Notable people named Marla
A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.
- Marla Adams , American soap opera actress
- Marla Gibbs , American actress
- Marla Glen , American jazz singer
- Marla Hanson , American screenwriter and ex-model, attack victim
- Marla Heasley , American film and TV actress
- Marla Landi , British film actress
- Marla Lukofsky , Canadian stand-up comedian
- Marla Maples (Trump), American actress and model, married to Donald Trump from 1993 to 1997
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Names that sound like Marla
Phonetically similar names — useful when Marla is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Marla
What does the name Marla mean?
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In which U.S. states is Marla most popular?
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About the name Marla
Marla is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1912 and has accumulated 39K births in the dataset. Marla's peak popularity came in 1955 when it ranked #193. Use the chart and map above to compare Marla's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1955 →
- Names of the 1950s →
- Names starting with "M" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.