Baby Names US
Unisex name ★ peaked 1935

Marlyn

Gender Unisex · 75% girls Rank 2025 #5,653 Trend → Stable
Rank 2025
#5,653
among girls · ↑667 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
22
named Marlyn
How common
1 in 73,058
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1935
278 babies
All-time total
9,112
#2,107 all-time among girls
First recorded
1913
in Social Security records

Marlyn popularity over time

9,112 babies have been named Marlyn since 1913, 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
0.050.10.150.218801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
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 56 84 140 14 – #2,220
1920s 516 462 978 98 +599% #803
1930s 1,492 819 2,311 231 +136% #464
1940s 1,064 367 1,431 143 -38% #590
1950s 682 235 917 92 -36% #967
1960s 448 101 549 55 -40% #1,456
1970s 290 73 363 36 -34% #1,765
1980s 408 39 447 45 +23% #1,936
1990s 619 42 661 66 +48% #1,829
2000s 632 57 689 69 +4% #2,383
2010s 462 22 484 48 -30% #2,306
2020s (to 2025) 137 5 142 24 -51% #4,510

Where Marlyn 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 22 0.01 outside top 500
2027 22 0.01 outside top 500
2028 22 0.01 outside top 500
2029 22 0.01 outside top 500
2030 22 0.01 outside top 500

The story of Marlyn

Marlyn is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #5,653 in 2025 with 22 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1913, 9,112 American babies have been named Marlyn, about 75% girls and 25% boys, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 1935, when 278 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1930s.

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

How old are people named Marlyn?

The median living Marlyn is about 55 years old; half are between 26 and 77. An estimated 5,400 people named Marlyn are alive in the United States today.

median 55 020406080100

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

Marlyn 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 22 #5,653 – –
2024 19 #6,320 – –
2023 21 #5,885 – –
2022 21 #5,902 – –
2021 24 #5,347 – –
2020 30 #4,510 5 #13,355
2019 19 #6,334 – –
2018 22 #5,722 – –
2017 24 #5,472 5 #13,551
2016 38 #3,975 – –
2015 42 #3,688 5 #13,330
2014 59 #2,914 – –
2013 64 #2,718 – –
2012 82 #2,306 12 #6,885
2011 51 #3,252 – –
2010 61 #2,861 – –
2009 73 #2,561 9 #8,751
2008 54 #3,146 – –
2007 77 #2,452 9 #8,661
2006 71 #2,573 5 #13,303
2005 66 #2,596 5 #12,653
2004 72 #2,383 8 #8,643
2003 62 #2,597 5 #12,072
2002 55 #2,764 7 #9,046
2001 55 #2,727 – –
2000 47 #3,004 9 #7,199
1995 62 #2,173 – –
1990 65 #2,063 6 #7,752
1985 39 #2,525 – –
1980 36 #2,632 – –
1975 25 #2,929 8 #4,171
1970 41 #2,034 8 #3,717
1965 38 #1,879 12 #2,428
1960 37 #1,875 11 #2,633
1955 70 #1,203 28 #1,475
1950 88 #967 28 #1,384
1945 78 #853 41 #1,004
1940 140 #590 55 #856
1935 184 #470 94 #601
1930 87 #751 81 #695
1925 65 #928 49 #977
1920 14 #2,539 22 #1,674
1915 11 #2,642 16 #1,851
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Marlyn

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

  1. 1 Marlyn Meltzer Marlyn Meltzer Programmer for the ENIAC computer 1922–2008 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Marlyn?

The median living Marlyn is about 55 years old. Half of all living Marlyns are between 26 and 77 years old.

How many people named Marlyn are alive today?

An estimated 5,400 people named Marlyn are alive in the United States, based on 9,112 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Marlyn in 2025?

Marlyn ranked #5,653 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 22 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Marlyn?

9,112 babies have been named Marlyn in the United States since 1913, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Marlyn most popular?

Marlyn peaked in 1935, when 278 newborns received the name.

Is Marlyn a boy or girl name?

Marlyn is used for both: about 75% of babies named Marlyn have been girls and 25% boys.

Is the name Marlyn rising or falling?

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

Will Marlyn become more popular?

Marlyn looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 22 girls named Marlyn in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Marlyn?

Well-known people named Marlyn include Marlyn Meltzer (computer scientist).

Names like Marlyn

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

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