boys' name ★ peaked 1972

Marlon

Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #1,105 Trend ↓ Falling 11%
Rank 2025
#1,105
among boys · ↓19 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
195
named Marlon · -3% vs 2024
How common
1 in 8,759
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1972
1,037 babies
All-time total
31,292
#675 all-time among boys
First recorded
1914
in Social Security records

Marlon popularity over time

31,292 babies have been named Marlon since 1914, 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
0.190.380.560.7518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

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 – 42 42 4 – #2,512
1920s 9 195 204 20 +386% #1,365
1930s 10 245 255 26 +25% #1,218
1940s 7 303 310 31 +22% #1,033
1950s 48 2,226 2,274 227 +634% #344
1960s 45 2,803 2,848 285 +25% #428
1970s 121 7,066 7,187 719 +152% #217
1980s 60 4,528 4,588 459 -36% #344
1990s 30 4,551 4,581 458 0% #449
2000s 6 4,567 4,573 457 0% #503
2010s – 3,138 3,138 314 -31% #607
2020s (to 2025) – 1,292 1,292 215 -31% #943

Where Marlon is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (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 boys Implied rank
2026 190 0.11 outside top 500
2027 187 0.11 outside top 500
2028 184 0.11 outside top 500
2029 181 0.11 outside top 500
2030 179 0.10 outside top 500

Where Marlon is most popular

Boys named Marlon per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.124 per 1,000. Strongest in Louisiana, New Jersey, and Florida.

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

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Marlon 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 Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Louisiana 29 0.284 +128%
New Jersey 47 0.233 +88%
Florida 102 0.215 +73%
Virginia 40 0.211 +69%
New York 76 0.176 +41%
Texas 139 0.158 +27%
Massachusetts 21 0.153 +23%
California 135 0.148 +19%
North Carolina 34 0.133 +7%
Tennessee 24 0.133 +7%
Georgia 30 0.118 -5%
Maryland 14 0.117 -6%
Indiana 18 0.112 -10%
Washington 17 0.104 -17%
Mississippi 5 0.088 -29%
Arkansas 5 0.079 -37%
Oklahoma 6 0.068 -45%
Ohio 16 0.060 -51%
Alabama 6 0.055 -56%
Illinois 11 0.043 -65%
Minnesota 5 0.041 -67%
Pennsylvania 10 0.038 -70%
Missouri 5 0.036 -71%
Arizona 5 0.031 -75%
Alaska – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
Wisconsin – – –
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 Marlon

Marlon is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #1,105 in 2025 with 195 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1914, 31,292 American babies have been named Marlon. Its peak came in 1972, when 1,037 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1970s.

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 Marlon stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Marlon?

The median living Marlon is about 38 years old; half are between 22 and 52. An estimated 29 thousand people named Marlon are alive in the United States today.

median 38 020406080100

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

Marlon 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 – – 195 #1,105
2024 – – 201 #1,086
2023 – – 240 #943
2022 – – 226 #992
2021 – – 213 #1,030
2020 – – 217 #984
2019 – – 260 #856
2018 – – 262 #848
2017 – – 291 #793
2016 – – 284 #813
2015 – – 277 #819
2014 – – 319 #745
2013 – – 327 #719
2012 – – 340 #699
2011 – – 367 #638
2010 – – 411 #607
2009 – – 382 #651
2008 – – 455 #569
2007 – – 467 #551
2006 – – 509 #509
2005 – – 479 #514
2004 – – 460 #522
2003 – – 462 #519
2002 – – 447 #512
2001 – – 454 #503
2000 6 #14,340 452 #507
1995 6 #12,753 444 #488
1990 8 #9,821 469 #457
1985 9 #7,334 509 #361
1980 6 #9,838 538 #344
1975 11 #5,371 639 #297
1970 9 #5,659 458 #378
1965 6 #6,253 261 #480
1960 5 #6,966 296 #462
1955 8 #4,610 449 #344
1950 – – 52 #968
1945 7 #3,897 30 #1,220
1940 – – 19 #1,606
1935 – – 31 #1,218
1930 5 #5,001 22 #1,587
1925 – – 21 #1,722
1920 – – 23 #1,626
1915 – – 9 #2,748
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Marlon

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

  1. 1 Marlon Brando Marlon Brando American actor (1924–2004) Contemporary
  2. 2 Marlon Wayans Marlon Wayans American actor and producer (born 1972) Contemporary
  3. 3 Marlon Jackson Marlon Jackson American singer and dancer (born 1957) Contemporary
  4. 4 Marlon James Marlon James Jamaican novelist (born 1970) Contemporary
  5. 5 Marlon Harewood Marlon Harewood English footballer (born 1979) Contemporary
  6. 6 Marlon King Marlon King Jamaican-English footballer (born 1980) Contemporary
  7. 7 Marlon Devonish Marlon Devonish English sprinter (born 1976) Contemporary
  8. 8 Marlon Ayoví Ecuadorian footballer (born 1971) Contemporary
  9. 9 Marlon Santos Topics referred to by the same term b. 1995 · Contemporary
  10. 10 Marlon de Souza Lopes Brazilian footballer b. 1976 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Marlon?

The median living Marlon is about 38 years old. Half of all living Marlons are between 22 and 52 years old.

How many people named Marlon are alive today?

An estimated 29 thousand people named Marlon are alive in the United States, based on 31,292 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Marlon in 2025?

Marlon ranked #1,105 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 195 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Marlon?

31,292 babies have been named Marlon in the United States since 1914, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Marlon most popular?

Marlon peaked in 1972, when 1,037 newborns received the name.

Is Marlon a boy or girl name?

Marlon is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Marlon rising or falling?

Marlon is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Marlon become more popular?

Marlon is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 179 boys named Marlon 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 Marlon?

Well-known people named Marlon include Marlon Brando (actor), Marlon Wayans (actor), Marlon Jackson (actor).

Names like Marlon

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

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