Marlayne
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly a blend of Mary and Elaine.
Name Census estimates that about 22 living Americans carry the first name Marlayne. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Marlayne today is around 74 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Marlayne births was 1954 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Marlayne. 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 Marlayne is about 74 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Marlaynes were born before 1962.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Marlayne. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
22
~ 1 in 15,579,743 Americans
Peak year
1954
7 babies that year
Average age
74
years old
1959 SSA rank
#6,865
Tracked since 1947
Popularity
Marlayne: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Marlayne from the 1940s through to the 1950s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 18 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Marlayne 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 Marlayne during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Marlayne
The name Marlayne is believed to have originated as a variation of the Old French name Marlene, which itself is derived from the Germanic name Amalberga. Amalberga is composed of the elements "amal" meaning "work" and "berga" meaning "bright" or "protection."
Marlene was a popular name during the Middle Ages, particularly in regions of modern-day France and Germany. Historical records show it was sometimes spelled as Marlaine, Marleine, or Marleyne. The earliest known use of the spelling Marlayne dates back to the 16th century in parts of northern France.
While there are no known major historical figures specifically named Marlayne, the name Marlene has been associated with a few notable individuals. Saint Marlene was a 7th century Benedictine abbess venerated in parts of France and Germany. Marlene Dietrich (1901-1992) was a famous German-American actress and singer during the early 20th century.
Other examples of historical figures with the name Marlene include Marlene Ahrens (1933-2021), a German author and playwright, and Marlene Haushofer (1920-1970), an Austrian novelist and writer. Marlene Coutts (1903-1990) was a British stage and film actress during the 1930s and 1940s.
It's worth noting that while the name Marlayne has been used throughout history, it has never been extremely common or widespread. It has remained a relatively unique and uncommon name choice, particularly in more recent times.
People
Marlayne + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Marlayne 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
Marlayne: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Marlayne?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 22 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Marlayne 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 15,579,743 US residents.
Is Marlayne a common name?
We classify Marlayne as "Very Rare". It ranks above 41.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 35 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Marlayne most popular?
The single biggest year for Marlayne was 1954, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Marlayne is about 74 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Marlayne a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Marlayne 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.