How Many People Are Named Marlow?
An estimated 3,249 people in the United States have the first name Marlow. It is used for both genders, with 55.6% male. The average bearer is 25 years old, and Marlow peaked in popularity in 2024 with 229 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Marlow as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, state-by-state birth registrations, and, when available, a 2020 Census snapshot showing who had the name at that point in time. You can also check how many people share the full name Marlow paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- Marlow has undergone a significant gender shift. Originally given predominantly to boys, it is now more commonly a girls' name.
- Marlow is a genuinely unisex name, given to both boys and girls in roughly equal numbers.
Estimated Living Americans
3,249
About 1 in 105,495 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Rare
Predicted Gender
Male
55.6% confidence
Average Age
25
years old
Peak Year
2024
229 births
Total Registered
3,837
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Marlow
Marlow is a genuinely unisex name, used for both males (55.6%) and females (44.4%). Out of 3,837 total births registered, 2,133 were male and 1,704 were female.
Marlow as a male name
Ranked #2,490 in 2024
55 male births in 2024
Peak: 2021 (58 births)
Marlow as a female name
Ranked #1,319 in 2024
174 female births in 2024
Peak: 2024 (174 births)
Marlow in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 2,176 people with the first name Marlow, which placed it at #7,105 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The estimated living count elsewhere on this page is different: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two figures are not expected to match exactly.
Read this section as a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The SSA charts elsewhere on this page are still the better way to see how the name rose, fell, or shifted across generations.
Gender in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, Marlow was recorded as predominantly male. Out of 2,176 people with this name in that snapshot, 52.8% were male and 47.2% were female. That is very close to the long-run birth pattern in SSA records, where the name is male 55.6% of the time.
Census Count
2,176
people with this name
Census Rank
#7,105
among Census first names
Frequency Rate
0.72
per 100,000 people
Recorded Race and Hispanic Origin in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, the first name Marlow was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (58.68%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (22.41%) and Hispanic (10.61%).
These percentages describe the people who had the first name Marlow in the 2020 Census. They do not tell you the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
2020 Census demographic breakdown
Each row shows a recorded Census category for people with the first name Marlow.
| Group | Share | Count |
|---|---|---|
| White | 58.68% | 1,278 |
| Black | 22.41% | 488 |
| Hispanic | 10.61% | 231 |
| Two or More Races | 5.69% | 124 |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 1.52% | 33 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1.10% | 24 |
The Census published separate sex and race/origin tables for first names, so their total counts can differ slightly for the same name. That is why the race section focuses on the demographic mix rather than repeating a second headline count.
Marlow: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Marlow span from the 1910s to the 2020s, covering 12 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 2010s, when 966 babies were registered. Marlow remains highly popular today, with recent registration numbers near its historical peak.
Marlow by Decade
How has Marlow 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.
Marlow by State
Birth registrations for Marlow span all 26 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in California, Texas, New York. The lowest are in North Dakota, North Carolina, Oklahoma. On average, about 33 Marlows were registered per state.
Marlow + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Marlow as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Marlow
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
Marlow: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Marlow?
We estimate approximately 3,249 people named Marlow 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 105,495 Americans share this first name.
Is Marlow a common name?
Marlow is classified as "Rare" and is more popular than 95.4% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 3,837 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Marlow most popular?
Marlow reached peak popularity in 2024, when 229 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Marlow is approximately 25 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
How common was Marlow in the 2020 Census?
The 2020 Census recorded 2,176 people with the first name Marlow. That placed it at #7,105 in the published Census first-name tables, or 0.72 people per 100,000.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census number is a count of people with the name in 2020. The living estimate is a current model based on SSA birth records and survival rates, so it aims to estimate how many people with the name are alive now.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The popularity chart tracks birth registrations, not people currently alive. It shows how often Marlow was given to babies from 1880 through 2024, which is why it is the best tool on the page for seeing long-run naming trends.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Marlow?
In the 2020 Census snapshot, Marlow was recorded as predominantly male. The published split was 52.8% male and 47.2% female.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Marlow?
In the 2020 Census, the first name Marlow was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (58.68%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (22.41%) and Hispanic (10.61%). These percentages describe the people who had the name in the 2020 Census, not the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census published separate first-name tables for sex and for race and Hispanic origin. Those totals can differ slightly for the same name, so the page uses them as two related snapshots rather than treating them as perfectly interchangeable counts.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name tables only include names that met the Bureau's publication rules. That means some names on this site will have SSA history but no published Census demographic snapshot.
Is Marlow a male name?
Marlow is predominantly male. 55.6% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
Why can Marlow have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because a name can build up a large population over many decades. Marlow peaked in 2024, and the average living bearer is about 25 years old, so a name can still have millions of living bearers even after it stops feeling current for newborns.
How many Marlow Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Marlow Smith, Marlow Johnson, Marlow 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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