How Many People Are Named Marlyn?
An estimated 4,868 people in the United States have the first name Marlyn. It is used for both genders, with 74.6% female. The average bearer is 50 years old, and Marlyn peaked in popularity in 1935 with 278 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Marlyn 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 Marlyn paired with any surname.
Estimated Living Americans
4,868
About 1 in 70,410 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Rare
Predicted Gender
Female
74.6% confidence
Average Age
50
years old
Peak Year
1935
278 births
Total Registered
9,090
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Marlyn
Marlyn is a genuinely unisex name, used for both males (25.4%) and females (74.6%). Out of 9,090 total births registered, 2,306 were male and 6,784 were female.
Marlyn as a male name
Ranked #13,349 in 2020
5 male births in 2020
Peak: 1935 (94 births)
Marlyn as a female name
Ranked #6,293 in 2024
19 female births in 2024
Peak: 1936 (193 births)
Marlyn: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Marlyn span from the 1910s to the 2020s, covering 12 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1930s, when 2,311 babies were registered. Marlyn has declined significantly from its peak in the 1930s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Marlyn by Decade
How has Marlyn 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.
Marlyn by State
Birth registrations for Marlyn span all 30 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in California, Pennsylvania, New York. The lowest are in Tennessee, Oregon, Oklahoma. On average, about 150 Marlyns were registered per state.
Marlyn + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Marlyn as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Marlyn
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
Marlyn: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Marlyn?
We estimate approximately 4,868 people named Marlyn 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 70,410 Americans share this first name.
Is Marlyn a common name?
Marlyn is classified as "Rare" and is more popular than 96.5% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 9,090 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Marlyn most popular?
Marlyn reached peak popularity in 1935, when 278 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Marlyn is approximately 50 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Marlyn a female name?
Marlyn is predominantly female. 74.6% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Marlyn Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Marlyn Smith, Marlyn Johnson, Marlyn 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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