girls' name ★ peaked 1955

Marla

Gender Girl Rank 2025 #2,055 Trend ↑ Rising 29%

American back-formation from Marlene, first used in the 1930s.

Rank 2025
#2,055
among girls · ↑285 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
92
named Marla · +16% vs 2024
How common
1 in 17,470
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1955
1,730 babies
All-time total
38,819
#703 all-time among girls
First recorded
1912
in Social Security records

Marla popularity over time

38,819 babies have been named Marla since 1912, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.250.50.75118801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s 16 – 16 2 – #2,849
1920s 73 – 73 7 +356% #2,390
1930s 699 – 699 70 +858% #521
1940s 2,835 – 2,835 284 +306% #367
1950s 11,441 11 11,452 1,145 +304% #193
1960s 10,615 17 10,632 1,063 -7% #249
1970s 6,613 5 6,618 662 -38% #273
1980s 2,776 5 2,781 278 -58% #496
1990s 1,616 – 1,616 162 -42% #806
2000s 905 – 905 91 -44% #1,567
2010s 710 – 710 71 -22% #2,209
2020s (to 2025) 482 – 482 80 +13% #2,055

Where Marla is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 96 0.06 outside top 500
2027 100 0.06 outside top 500
2028 103 0.06 outside top 500
2029 105 0.07 outside top 500
2030 108 0.07 outside top 500

Where Marla is most popular

Girls named Marla per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.051 per 1,000. Strongest in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Ohio.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Marla born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Michigan 20 0.110 +115%
Wisconsin 11 0.107 +109%
Ohio 17 0.072 +40%
California 54 0.064 +26%
Pennsylvania 14 0.059 +16%
Colorado 6 0.054 +5%
Massachusetts 5 0.041 -19%
Texas 30 0.037 -27%
Arizona 5 0.036 -30%
Tennessee 5 0.032 -38%
Florida 12 0.028 -45%
New York 11 0.028 -46%
Illinois 5 0.022 -57%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Georgia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Carolina – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Marla

Marla is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #2,055 in 2025 with 92 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1912, 38,819 American babies have been named Marla. Its peak came in 1955, when 1,730 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1950s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Marla stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Marla?

The median living Marla is about 60 years old; half are between 50 and 68. An estimated 34 thousand people named Marla are alive in the United States today.

median 60 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Marla year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 92 #2,055 – –
2024 79 #2,340 – –
2023 88 #2,170 – –
2022 80 #2,333 – –
2021 75 #2,408 – –
2020 68 #2,540 – –
2019 77 #2,346 – –
2018 63 #2,728 – –
2017 71 #2,526 – –
2016 69 #2,583 – –
2015 67 #2,675 – –
2014 86 #2,209 – –
2013 53 #3,110 – –
2012 71 #2,559 – –
2011 68 #2,629 – –
2010 85 #2,271 – –
2009 67 #2,720 – –
2008 68 #2,710 – –
2007 97 #2,095 – –
2006 73 #2,530 – –
2005 89 #2,101 – –
2004 97 #1,936 – –
2003 86 #2,079 – –
2002 102 #1,778 – –
2001 112 #1,638 – –
2000 114 #1,567 – –
1995 143 #1,207 – –
1990 250 #806 – –
1985 237 #729 – –
1980 417 #496 – –
1975 568 #365 – –
1970 1,090 #273 5 #5,184
1965 901 #296 5 #4,251
1960 1,087 #272 – –
1955 1,725 #193 5 #4,197
1950 681 #299 – –
1945 229 #476 – –
1940 147 #577 – –
1935 55 #943 – –
1930 11 #2,796 – –
1925 6 #4,764 – –
1920 5 #5,480 – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Marla

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Marla Maples Marla Maples American actress, model, singer and host (born 1963) Contemporary
  2. 2 Marla Sokoloff Marla Sokoloff American actress (born 1980) Contemporary
  3. 3 Marla Gibbs Marla Gibbs Actress, entertainer, singer, writer, and producer (born 1931) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Marla, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Marla?

The median living Marla is about 60 years old. Half of all living Marlas are between 50 and 68 years old.

How many people named Marla are alive today?

An estimated 34 thousand people named Marla are alive in the United States, based on 38,819 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Marla mean?

American back-formation from Marlene, first used in the 1930s.

How popular is the name Marla in 2025?

Marla ranked #2,055 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 92 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Marla?

38,819 babies have been named Marla in the United States since 1912, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Marla most popular?

Marla peaked in 1955, when 1,730 newborns received the name.

Is Marla a boy or girl name?

Marla is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Marla rising or falling?

Marla is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Marla become more popular?

Marla is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 108 girls named Marla in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Marla?

Well-known people named Marla include Marla Maples (actor), Marla Sokoloff (actor), Marla Gibbs (actor).

Names like Marla

Names that sound and feel close to Marla: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Marla with similar names → More names starting with M →