Marilyn

Marilyn: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning
“modern blend of Mary and Lynn”
Origin
American (modern coinage)
Say it
MAIR-uh-lin · 3 syllables
Used for
Girls

Modern English name formed by combining Mary with the suffix or name Lynn. It was popularized by the stage name Marilyn Monroe.

How popular is Marilyn?

2024130 per million US babies
1880192019602000
Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Babies named Marilyn in 2024432

2024 rank#666 girls

Peak year1936

Total US babies since 1880374,490

Marilyn is fading: recent use is about 67% of its level ten years before.

Names like Marilyn

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

  • Marilynnmodern blend of Mary and Lynn · English
  • Samanthauncertain; probably feminine form of Samuel · American (modern coinage)
  • Raelynnmodern blend of Rae and Lynn · American (modern coinage)
  • Nevaehheaven spelled backward · American (modern coinage)
  • Ellianamodern blend of Ellie and Ana · American (modern coinage)
  • Wrenleymodern blend using Wren and -ley · American (modern coinage)
  • Oaklynnmodern blend of Oak and Lynn · American (modern coinage)
  • Adalynnmodern blend of Ada and Lynn · American (modern coinage)

Marilyn questions

What does the name Marilyn mean?

Marilyn means "modern blend of Mary and Lynn". It comes from American (modern coinage). Modern English name formed by combining Mary with the suffix or name Lynn. It was popularized by the stage name Marilyn Monroe.

Is Marilyn a boy or girl name?

Marilyn is mainly a girl's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Marilyn?

432 US babies were named Marilyn in 2024. Its peak year was 1936.

How do you pronounce Marilyn?

Marilyn is usually pronounced MAIR-uh-lin.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.