Baby Name Popularity Profile

Marilyn

Data-driven SSA statistics, rankings, and historical trends for Marilyn.

✦ Star of the sea 🌍 English traditional
National Rank (2025) #761
All-Time Peak Rank #13 Achieved 1936
Total U.S. Births 373,791 since 1880
Unisex Distribution 0.0% Boy / 100.0% Girl Female Archetype
First Recorded 1899 Last seen: 2025
Peak Decade 1940s 11,881 births in 1947
πŸ’‘ The Marilyn Vibe: Considered a Declining Classic. A previously dominant name currently experiencing a prolonged generational cooling period.

🌍 Meaning & Etymology

Primary Meaning Star of the sea
Language Origin English
Origin Type single
An English diminutive of Mary, often formed by combining Mary with the suffix -lyn. Mary is derived from the Hebrew name Miryam.
Common Nicknames
Mary Lynn Lynnie Mare
Alternative Spellings
Marilynn Marylin
Pronunciation: MAR-Ι™-lin
Themes & Categories
Etymology confidence: High

πŸ“– The Story Behind Marilyn

According to SSA data, Marilyn achieved its highest historical rank of #13 in 1936. Its highest annual registration volume occurred in 1947 with 11,881 babies. Between 2015 and 2025, modern registrations have decreased by 52.4%. Overall, the name has maintained a ranked presence for 123 consecutive years.

πŸ“Š Factual Timeline & Current Trajectory (1880 – 2025)

Registration footprint of Marilyn across 145 years of SSA data.

5-Year Trajectory Declining
10-Year Shift -52.4% Decline
18801920196020002025

πŸ“ˆ Popularity Milestones & Volatility

Busiest Year on Record 11,881 births in 1947
Years in Top 100 34 yrs
Years in Top 500 87 yrs
Registry Streak 123 yrs
Historical Volatility Highly Volatile
Largest 1-Year Jump N/A
Decade-by-Decade Registration Volumes
1880s: 0
1890s: 5
1900s: 132
1910s: 1,306
1920s: 34,202
1930s: 98,531
1940s: 98,977
1950s: 80,161
1960s: 27,002
1970s: 7,930
1980s: 5,578
1990s: 5,750
2000s: 5,376
2010s: 6,382
2020s: 2,459

πŸ“ Sound & Spelling Structure

Phonetic Syllables Mar-il-yn
Letter Count 7 letters
Spelling Complexity Moderate
Length Percentile Longer than 54.1% of names
Linguistic Profile: It is an isogram, meaning no two letters are repeated. Longer than 54.1% of SSA names. Starts with M, a letter used by only 7.6% of SSA names.

πŸ› οΈ Sibling & Surname Cadence Tool

Enter a surname or sibling name to test how it pairs with Marilyn.

πŸ“ Authentic State & Regional Rankings

Highest Ranking State Iowa
Top States Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Kansas
States with Data 51
State 2025 Rank Total Births Peak Year 5-Yr Velocity
Iowa Unranked 11,108 1934 Insufficient historical volume
Nebraska Unranked 5,447 1936 Insufficient historical volume
South Dakota Unranked 2,442 1935 Insufficient historical volume
North Dakota Unranked 2,300 1932 Insufficient historical volume
Kansas Unranked 6,596 1936 Insufficient historical volume
Illinois #1086 29,343 1936 Insufficient historical volume
Indiana #565 13,499 1932 Insufficient historical volume
Ohio #612 26,086 1932 Insufficient historical volume
Minnesota Unranked 10,086 1936 Insufficient historical volume
Michigan #1348 20,668 1936 Insufficient historical volume
Vermont Unranked 907 1932 Insufficient historical volume
Wyoming Unranked 708 1938 Insufficient historical volume
New York #777 39,882 1932 22.2% Decline
Montana Unranked 1,571 1943 Insufficient historical volume
Wisconsin #440 10,119 1932 Insufficient historical volume
Maine Unranked 2,230 1935 Insufficient historical volume
Missouri #545 11,023 1947 Insufficient historical volume
Massachusetts #729 11,847 1931 Insufficient historical volume
Rhode Island Unranked 1,639 1945 Insufficient historical volume
Idaho Unranked 1,749 1945 Insufficient historical volume
Washington #784 6,610 1947 Insufficient historical volume
Oklahoma Unranked 5,430 1947 Insufficient historical volume
Arkansas Unranked 4,322 1954 Insufficient historical volume
Utah #786 3,253 1932 Insufficient historical volume
New Jersey #1000 10,725 1947 Insufficient historical volume
Oregon Unranked 3,458 1947 Insufficient historical volume
Connecticut Unranked 4,152 1946 Insufficient historical volume
New Hampshire Unranked 1,036 1933 Insufficient historical volume
Pennsylvania #609 17,351 1947 Insufficient historical volume
Louisiana #864 5,673 1954 Insufficient historical volume
Mississippi Unranked 3,843 1955 Insufficient historical volume
Colorado #759 3,525 1947 Insufficient historical volume
Kentucky Unranked 5,080 1955 Insufficient historical volume
Hawaii Unranked 886 1945 Insufficient historical volume
California #633 28,555 1947 30.6% Decline
District of Columbia Unranked 1,177 1945 Insufficient historical volume
Alabama #562 4,725 1954 Insufficient historical volume
Tennessee #689 5,328 1954 Insufficient historical volume
West Virginia Unranked 2,226 1954 Insufficient historical volume
Alaska Unranked 309 1954 Insufficient historical volume
South Carolina Unranked 3,162 1954 Insufficient historical volume
New Mexico Unranked 1,157 1953 Insufficient historical volume
Texas #795 14,863 1954 39.7% Decline
Georgia #602 5,415 1954 Insufficient historical volume
North Carolina #880 4,994 1954 Insufficient historical volume
Arizona Unranked 2,067 1954 Insufficient historical volume
Florida #1298 5,767 1954 Insufficient historical volume
Nevada Unranked 531 2013 Insufficient historical volume
Maryland #633 2,282 1953 Insufficient historical volume
Virginia #739 3,097 1954 Insufficient historical volume
Delaware Unranked 239 1949 Insufficient historical volume

πŸ‘¨β€πŸ‘©β€πŸ‘§ Sibling Name Suggestions

πŸ‘¦ Brother Suggestions
Teddy Benny Jimmy Ira Domingo Barbara Carolyn Librado Roberta Cleotha
πŸ‘§ Sister Suggestions
Judith Barbara Carolyn Rosetta Karolyn Annetta Louanna Jerilyn Annelle Deloris

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