NameRealm
Marlon

Marlon: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning
“meaning uncertain”
Origin
Unknown
Say it
MAR-lən · 2 syllables
Used for
Boys

Origin uncertain; it may have developed as a variant of Marlen or as a modern coined name. It is strongly associated with actor Marlon Brando. The origin of this name is not settled among etymologists.

English namesAmerican namesModern names

How popular is Marlon?

202460.0 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 Marlon in 2024200

2024 rank#1,085 boys

Peak year1972

Total US babies since 188031,095

Marlon is steady now but far below its 1972 peak.

Names like Marlon

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

  • Marlenof Magdalena or Maria-Lene blend · Germanic
  • Kaisea; shell; forgiveness · Unknown
  • Arlouncertain · Unknown
  • Garyuncertain · Unknown
  • Coreyfrom the hollow · Unknown
  • Caspianof the Caspian Sea · Unknown
  • Kyrouncertain · Unknown
  • Brayanuncertain; usually treated as Brian variant · Unknown

Marlon questions

What does the name Marlon mean?

Marlon means "meaning uncertain". It comes from Unknown. Origin uncertain; it may have developed as a variant of Marlen or as a modern coined name. It is strongly associated with actor Marlon Brando.

Is Marlon a boy or girl name?

Marlon is mainly a boy's name in US records (99% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Marlon?

200 US babies were named Marlon in 2024. Its peak year was 1972.

How do you pronounce Marlon?

Marlon is usually pronounced MAR-lən.

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.