Marlis
A feminine name derived from the combination of "Maria" and "Lise".
Name Census estimates that about 386 living Americans carry the first name Marlis. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Marlis today is around 71 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Marlis births was 1941 (33 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Marlis. 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 Marlis is about 71 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Marlis' were born before 1965.
People living today
386
~ 1 in 887,965 Americans
Peak year
1941
33 babies that year
Average age
71
years old
2001 SSA rank
#16,977
Tracked since 1919
Popularity
Marlis: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Marlis from the 1910s through to the 2000s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 244 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1940s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Marlis 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 Marlis during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Marlis' live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin recorded the most babies named Marlis, while South Dakota, Illinois, Wisconsin recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 26 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Marlis
The name Marlis is a diminutive form of the German name Marlies, which in turn is derived from the Germanic name Marileiz or Marileud. This name is composed of the elements "mari" meaning "famous" and "leud" meaning "people" or "nation." Thus, the name Marlis can be interpreted to mean "famous among the people" or "celebrated nation."
The name Marlis has its roots in the Middle Ages and was particularly popular in German-speaking regions of Europe during that time period. It was often used as a feminine form of the masculine name Marlies or Marlieb, which shared the same etymological origins.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Marlis can be found in the 13th century, when a noblewoman named Marlis von Rottenburg was mentioned in historical records from the region of modern-day Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Another notable figure bearing this name was Marlis von Nürnberg, a 14th-century German poet and writer.
In the realm of literature, the name Marlis appears in the Middle High German epic poem "Parzival" by Wolfram von Eschenbach, where it is mentioned as the name of a character. This work, composed in the early 13th century, is considered one of the great masterpieces of medieval German literature.
Among the notable historical figures named Marlis, one can mention Marlis Petersen, a German soprano born in 1968, who has performed in numerous operas and concerts worldwide. Another notable bearer of this name is Marlis Prinzing, a German journalist and author born in 1955, known for her work on media ethics and journalism.
In the world of sports, Marlis Droste Büchel, a Swiss tennis player born in 1937, achieved notable success in the 1960s, winning several tournaments and representing Switzerland in the Federation Cup.
Marlis Sies, born in 1944, was a German politician and member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), who served as a member of the Bundestag, the German federal parliament, from 1987 to 2002.
Marlis Kühnle, born in 1948, is a German former swimmer who won a bronze medal in the 4×100m medley relay at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City.
People
Marlis + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Marlis 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
Marlis: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Marlis?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 386 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Marlis 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 887,965 US residents.
Is Marlis a common name?
We classify Marlis as "Very Rare". It ranks above 82% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 846 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Marlis most popular?
The single biggest year for Marlis was 1941, when 33 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Marlis is about 71 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Marlis a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Marlis 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.