The first name Marilyn

In 2025, 17 girls were named Marilyn, making it the 1,719th most popular girls’ name. It peaked in 2015, with 20 births (#1,549).

Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Marilyn with other names.

In 2025, 356 girls born in the United States were named Marilyn, the 761st most popular girls’ name that year. It was used most in 1947, when 11,881 were.

US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.

• Marilyn Monroe
  American actress and model (1926–1962)
• Marilyn Manson
  American musician (born 1969)
• Marilyn Chambers
  American pornographic actress (1952-2009)
• Marilyn Horne
  American mezzo-soprano opera singer (born 1934)
• Marilyn Maxwell
  American actress and singer (1921–1972)
• Marilyn Burns
  American actress (1949–2014)
• Marilyn Ferguson
  American writer (1938-2008)
• Marilyn Miller
  Broadway musical star (1898–1936)
• Marilyn Okoro
  British athletics competitor, born 1984
• Marilyn Strathern
  British anthropologist, born 1941
• Marilyn McCord Adams
  American philosopher (1943–2017)
• Marilyn Black
  Australian sprinter, born 1944

What does the name Marilyn mean?

A twentieth-century blend of Mary and Lynn.

How popular is the name Marilyn?

In 2025, 17 girls born in England and Wales were named Marilyn, ranking 1,719th. Its peak was 2015, with 20 births.

Is Marilyn a boy's or a girl's name?

Mostly a girl's name: 100% of the 374,857 US babies named Marilyn since 1880 were girls.

When was Marilyn most popular?

1947 in the United States, when 11,881 babies were named Marilyn, its highest rank at 29th.

How do you pronounce Marilyn?

Marilyn is /ˈmæɹ.ɪ.lɪn/, 3 syllables.

What are other spellings of Marilyn?

Marylyn.