Marillyn
A feminine name derived from the ancient Hebrew name Miryam or Miriam.
Name Census estimates that about 45 living Americans carry the first name Marillyn. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Marillyn today is around 89 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Marillyn births was 1927 (40 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Marillyn. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Marillyn is about 89 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Marillyns were born before 1947.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Marillyn. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
45
~ 1 in 7,616,763 Americans
Peak year
1927
40 babies that year
Average age
89
years old
1947 SSA rank
#3,916
Tracked since 1920
Popularity
Marillyn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Marillyn from the 1920s through to the 1940s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 231 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Marillyn by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Marillyn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Marillyns live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. Illinois, California, Minnesota recorded the most babies named Marillyn, while Wisconsin, New York, Michigan recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 10 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Marillyn
The name Marillyn is a variant spelling of the feminine given name Marilyn, which itself is an English form derived from the French name Marianne. The name Marianne has its roots in the ancient Hebraic name Maria or Miriam, meaning "bitter" or "beloved."
The earliest known recorded uses of the name Marillyn can be traced back to the late 19th century in England and the United States. It was likely introduced as a variant spelling of Marilyn, which itself emerged as a distinct name in the 17th century.
One of the most famous historical figures bearing the name Marillyn was Marillyn Monroe (1926-1962), the iconic American actress, model, and singer. Her birth name was Norma Jeane Mortenson, but she legally changed it to Marilyn Monroe in 1956.
Another notable Marillyn was Marillyn Hewson (born 1953), an American businesswoman who served as the Chairman, President, and CEO of Lockheed Martin Corporation from 2013 to 2020.
In the world of literature, Marillyn Fain (born 1935) was an American author and playwright, best known for her novel "The Book of Abigail" published in 1984.
Marillyn Skyrich (1925-2021) was a Canadian-American actress and singer who appeared in several Broadway musicals and television shows in the 1950s and 1960s.
Marillyn Berends (born 1936) was an American professional golfer who won several LPGA Tour events in the 1960s and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2000.
While these are just a few examples, the name Marillyn has been borne by numerous individuals throughout history, each leaving their unique mark on various fields and disciplines.
People
Marillyn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Marillyn as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Marillyn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Marillyn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 45 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Marillyn going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 7,616,763 US residents.
Is Marillyn a common name?
We classify Marillyn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 52.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 437 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Marillyn most popular?
The single biggest year for Marillyn was 1927, when 40 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Marillyn is about 89 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Marillyn a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Marillyn in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.