Marlinda
A feminine name derived from the Germanic elements "mari" and "lindo," meaning "of the sea" and "tender."
Name Census estimates that about 452 living Americans carry the first name Marlinda. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Marlinda today is around 54 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Marlinda births was 1969 (21 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Marlinda. 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.
People living today
452
~ 1 in 758,306 Americans
Peak year
1969
21 babies that year
Average age
54
years old
1998 SSA rank
#13,505
Tracked since 1942
Popularity
Marlinda: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Marlinda from the 1940s through to the 1990s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 145 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1960s peak, Marlinda remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Marlinda 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 Marlinda during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Marlindas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, Arizona, New Mexico recorded the most babies named Marlinda, while New Mexico, Arizona, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 10 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Marlinda
The name Marlinda is a feminine given name of uncertain origin, with various theories proposed about its roots and meaning. One suggestion is that it originated as a combination of the Germanic elements "mar" meaning "famous" and "lind" meaning "soft" or "tender." This would give Marlinda a possible meaning of "famous and gentle."
Another theory traces Marlinda's origins to the Old English name Merlinda or Merelinda, derived from "mere" meaning "lake" and "lind" meaning "lime tree." Under this interpretation, the name could signify "lake of the lime trees" or someone dwelling near such a place.
Marlinda may also have connections to the name Marlin, a French variation of Merlin, the legendary wizard from Arthurian legends. This could link Marlinda to mythical and mystical connotations associated with Merlin's sorcery.
Early recorded instances of the name Marlinda are scarce, but it appears to have been in use by the 19th century. One notable bearer was Marlinda Leibering (1911-1983), a German-American actress and dancer who performed on Broadway and in Hollywood films during the 1930s and 1940s.
Another historical figure with this name was Marlinda Schmidt (1920-2008), a German resistance fighter who helped Allied soldiers escape from Nazi-occupied territories during World War II. She was later recognized for her bravery with the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.
In the arts, Marlinda Hartley (born 1943) was an American actress best known for her role as Charlene Howell in the television series "Vega$" from 1978 to 1981. She also appeared in several popular films, including "The Stepford Wives" in 1975.
Marlinda Kamm (born 1956) is a German-American artist and sculptor, renowned for her large-scale public installations and sculptures made from recycled materials. Her works have been exhibited across the United States and Europe.
Finally, Marlinda Leibering (1911-1983), the aforementioned actress and dancer, also had a successful career as a dancer and choreographer, working with renowned companies such as the American Ballet Theatre and the Metropolitan Opera Ballet.
People
Marlinda + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Marlinda 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
Marlinda: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Marlinda?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 452 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Marlinda 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 758,306 US residents.
Is Marlinda a common name?
We classify Marlinda as "Very Rare". It ranks above 83.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 539 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Marlinda most popular?
The single biggest year for Marlinda was 1969, when 21 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Marlinda is about 54 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Marlinda a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Marlinda 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.