How Many People Are Named Marlen?
An estimated 5,820 people in the United States have the first name Marlen. It is used for both genders, with 85.6% female. The average bearer is 28 years old, and Marlen peaked in popularity in 2003 with 272 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Marlen as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Marlen paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- Marlen has undergone a significant gender shift. Originally given predominantly to boys, it is now more commonly a girls' name.
Estimated Living Americans
5,820
About 1 in 58,892 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Rare
Predicted Gender
Female
85.6% confidence
Average Age
28
years old
Peak Year
2003
272 births
Total Registered
6,390
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Marlen
Marlen is predominantly female (85.6%), though 920 male births have been registered. It functions as a unisex name for a small percentage of bearers.
Marlen as a male name
Ranked #13,447 in 2023
5 male births in 2023
Peak: 1938 (26 births)
Marlen as a female name
Ranked #3,543 in 2024
44 female births in 2024
Peak: 2007 (263 births)
Marlen: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Marlen span from the 1910s to the 2020s, covering 12 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 2000s, when 2,253 babies were registered. Marlen has declined significantly from its peak in the 2000s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Marlen by Decade
How has Marlen tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
Marlen by State
Birth registrations for Marlen span all 20 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in California, Texas, Illinois. The lowest are in Tennessee, Oregon, New Mexico. On average, about 198 Marlens were registered per state.
Marlen + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Marlen as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Marlen
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
Marlen: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Marlen?
We estimate approximately 5,820 people named Marlen are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 58,892 Americans share this first name.
Is Marlen a common name?
Marlen is classified as "Rare" and is more popular than 96.8% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 6,390 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Marlen most popular?
Marlen reached peak popularity in 2003, when 272 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Marlen is approximately 28 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Marlen a female name?
Marlen is predominantly female. 85.6% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Marlen Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Marlen Smith, Marlen Johnson, Marlen Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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