The first name Marlene
A girl’s name from Hebrew.
2 syllables Female
Meaning and origin
Hebrew origin
Borrowed from German Marlene.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 4 girls were named Marlene, making it the 4,867th most popular girls’ name. It peaked in 2006, with 15 births (#1,585).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Marlene with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Marlene at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 177 girls born in the United States were named Marlene, the 1,268th most popular girls’ name that year. It was used most in 1936, when 5,332 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.
Marlene in other languages
Equivalent forms of the name, from Wiktionary
Spelled Marlene in Danish, German and Swedish too.
Nicknames and spellings
Other spellings and forms
Famous people named Marlene
21 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Marlene DietrichGerman and American actress and singer (1901–1992)
- Marlène JobertFrench actress and author, born 1940
- Marlene SchmidtGerman actress, born 1937
- Marlene AhrensChilean athletics competitor (1933–2020)
- Marlène SchiappaFrench politician and writer, born 1982
- Marlene MathewsAustralian sprinter, born 1934
- Marlene ForteCuban actress, born 1961
- Marlene ElejardeCuban athletics competitor (1951–1989)
- Marlene CharellGerman dancer, born 1944
- Marlene ZukAmerican evolutionary biologist, born 1956
- Marlene StreeruwitzAustrian author and actress (born 1950)
- Marlène LaruelleFrench historian, born 1972
More Hebrew girls’ names
Questions
- What does the name Marlene mean?
- Borrowed from German Marlene.
- What is the origin of the name Marlene?
- Borrowed from German Marlene.
- How popular is the name Marlene?
- In 2025, 4 girls born in England and Wales were named Marlene, ranking 4,867th. Its peak was 2006, with 15 births.
- Is Marlene a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a girl's name: 100% of the 130,932 US babies named Marlene since 1880 were girls.
- When was Marlene most popular?
- 1936 in the United States, when 5,332 babies were named Marlene, its highest rank at 39th.
- What are other spellings of Marlene?
- Marleen.