Marliss
A feminine name potentially derived from the French "Marie-Lise" or "Marie Elise".
Name Census estimates that about 93 living Americans carry the first name Marliss. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Marliss today is around 76 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Marliss births was 1936 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Marliss. 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 Marliss is about 76 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Marliss' were born before 1960.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Marliss. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
93
~ 1 in 3,685,531 Americans
Peak year
1936
13 babies that year
Average age
76
years old
1978 SSA rank
#10,764
Tracked since 1928
Census
Marliss in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 222 people with the first name Marliss, which placed it at #35,960 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#35,960
National first-name rank
People counted
222
222 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
85.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Marliss
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Marliss is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Black (6.3%) and Hispanic (3.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Marliss described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Marliss at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.6% · 190
- Black or African American6.3% · 14
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 8
- Two or more races2.3% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.4% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 2
Popularity
Marliss: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Marliss from the 1920s through to the 1970s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1930s, with 81 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1930s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Marliss 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 Marliss during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Marliss' live
Origin
Meaning and history of Marliss
The name Marliss is of German origin, derived from the combination of the Old German words "mari" meaning "famous" and "liss" meaning "gentle" or "tender." It emerged during the Middle Ages, around the 12th century, in the regions of modern-day Germany and neighboring areas.
While the name itself does not appear to have any direct historical references in ancient texts or religious scriptures, its roots can be traced back to the Germanic languages spoken in central Europe during the medieval period. The earliest recorded examples of the name date back to the 13th century, though it was not widely used until later centuries.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name Marliss was Marliss von Rothenburg, a German noblewoman who lived in the 14th century. She was known for her philanthropic efforts and her support of the arts and education in her region.
In the 16th century, Marliss Becker, a German painter and engraver, gained recognition for her intricate woodcut prints depicting religious scenes and portraits of notable figures of the time.
During the 17th century, Marliss von Lichtenstein, a German philosopher and writer, made significant contributions to the field of ethics and moral philosophy with her works exploring the nature of virtue and the pursuit of happiness.
In the 19th century, Marliss Müller, a German composer and pianist, gained acclaim for her compositions for solo piano and chamber ensembles, which showcased her mastery of melodic and harmonic expression.
Another notable figure was Marliss Hartmann, a German archaeologist and historian who lived in the early 20th century. She made significant contributions to the study of ancient civilizations through her excavations and research in the Middle East and Mediterranean regions.
People
Marliss + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Marliss 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
Marliss: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Marliss?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 93 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Marliss 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 3,685,531 US residents.
Is Marliss a common name?
We classify Marliss as "Very Rare". It ranks above 63.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 228 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Marliss most popular?
The single biggest year for Marliss was 1936, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Marliss is about 76 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Marliss in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 222 people with the name Marliss, or 0.07 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #35,960 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Marliss in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Marliss?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Marliss leans strongly female. 220 people counted with this name were female (97.8%), compared with 5 male bearers (2.2%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Marliss?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Marliss is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Black (6.3%) and Hispanic (3.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Marliss most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Marliss in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.6% (190 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Marliss in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Marliss a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Marliss 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.
Is Marliss still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Marliss in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Marliss can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
How many Americans are named Marliss?
Want to know how many people have the name Marliss? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.