Girl · #1,413 in 2026

Marlene

Marlene is a German feminine given name. It is derived from Maria combined with Magdalene. It was popularized by actress and singer Marlene Dietrich. It also came into wider use in the 1940s due to the popular song Lili Marlene. The traditional German pronunciation is mar-LAY-nuh. The North American English pronunciation of the name is mar-LEEN. Phonetic variants include Marlena and Marleen.

Current Rank
#1,413
Peak Rank
#39 (1936)
Total Babies
131K
5-Yr Trend
+2%
1904
First Year
2026
Last Year
1936
Peak Year
#39
Peak Rank
131K
Total Count
120
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Marlene

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Marlene is a German feminine given name. It is derived from Maria combined with Magdalene. It was popularized by actress and singer Marlene Dietrich. It also came into wider use in the 1940s due to the popular song Lili Marlene. The traditional German pronunciation is mar-LAY-nuh. The North American English pronunciation of the name is mar-LEEN. Phonetic variants include Marlena and Marleen.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

The Story of Marlene

Marlene first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1904, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1936, when 5,332 Marlenes were born — ranking #39 that year. As of 2026, Marlene ranks #1,413 for baby girls with 157 births, holding steady (+2%). In total, more than 131K Marlenes have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1900s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
AK
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
HI
TX
FL
Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

Names that sound like Marlene

Phonetically similar names — useful when Marlene 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 Marlene

What does the name Marlene mean?
Marlene is a German feminine given name. It is derived from Maria combined with Magdalene. It was popularized by actress and singer Marlene Dietrich. It also came into wider use in the 1940s due to the popular song Lili Marlene. The traditional German pronunciation is mar-LAY-nuh. The North American English pronunciation of the name is mar-LEEN. Phonetic variants include Marlena and Marleen.
How popular is Marlene in 2026?
In 2026, Marlene ranks #1,413 among girls' names in the U.S., with 157 babies given the name that year.
When was Marlene most popular?
Marlene reached its peak popularity in 1936, ranking #39 that year with 5,332 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Marlene most popular?
Marlene has historically been most popular in North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Marlene.
Is Marlene a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Marlene is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.
What names go well with Marlene?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Marlene include Bernice, June, Monica. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

Similar Names

👧
Bernice
Peak #39
👧
June
Peak #39
👧
Monica
Peak #39
👧
Lorraine
Peak #39
👧
Stella
Peak #38
👧
Katie
Peak #38
👧
Claire
Peak #40
👧
Emilia
Peak #40

About the name Marlene

Marlene is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1904 and has accumulated 131K births in the dataset. Marlene's peak popularity came in 1936 when it ranked #39. Use the chart and map above to compare Marlene's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

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.