Marlyn
Marlyn is a given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include:Marlyn Alonte, Filipino politician, commonly known as Len Alonte Marlyn Glen, Scottish Labour Party politician Marlyn Maldonado, Guatemalan badminton player John Marlyn (1912–2005), Austro-Hungarian-born Canadian writer Marlyn Mason, American actress, producer, and screenwriter Marlyn Mbakera, Namibian politician Marlyn…
- English
Meaning & Origin of Marlyn
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Marlyn is a given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include:Marlyn Alonte, Filipino politician, commonly known as Len Alonte Marlyn Glen, Scottish Labour Party politician Marlyn Maldonado, Guatemalan badminton player John Marlyn (1912–2005), Austro-Hungarian-born Canadian writer Marlyn Mason, American actress, producer, and screenwriter Marlyn Mbakera, Namibian politician Marlyn…
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
The Story of Marlyn
As a girl name
Marlyn first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1915, with 11 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1936, when 193 Marlyns were born — ranking #462 that year. As of 2026, Marlyn ranks #6,918 for girls with 16 births, falling sharply (-20%). In total, more than 7K Marlyns have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1910s through the 2020s.
As a boy name
Marlyn first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a boy name in 1913, with 7 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1935, when 94 Marlyns were born — ranking #598 that year. As of 2026, Marlyn ranks #12,015 for boys with 5 births, with steady use. In total, more than 2K Marlyns have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1910s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Marlyn
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Marlyn. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Marlyn
Phonetically similar names — useful when Marlyn 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 Marlyn
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About the name Marlyn
Marlyn is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1915 and has accumulated 7K births in the dataset. Marlyn's peak popularity came in 1936 when it ranked #462. Use the chart and map above to compare Marlyn's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1936 →
- Names of the 1930s →
- Names starting with "M" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
- Browse unisex names →
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.