Marilyn Monroe
There are approximately 32 people named Marilyn Monroe living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 10,711,073 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Marilyn with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Monroe. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and ancestry information.
Expected bearers
32
1 in 10,711,073
Named Marilyn
171K
Alive today
Named Monroe
64K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 171K
Rarity: Common
Gender: Female
Peak year: 1947
Average age: 67
Estimated bearers: 64K
Rarity: Uncommon
Census rank: #617
Per 100K: 18.69
Top ancestry: White (62.9%)
First name trend
Marilyn: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Marilyn. The peak year was 1947 with 11,905 births. The average person named Marilyn today is 67 years old.
Babies born per year
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Monroe surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Monroe, from the 2010 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 62.9%.
- White62.9%
- Black or African American29.3%
- Hispanic or Latino3.3%
- Two or more races2.5%
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.5%
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5%
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Marilyn has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0499% of the US population, based on 171,181 estimated living Americans carrying this first name (from SSA birth records going back to 1880, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables).
The surname Monroe appears at a rate of 18.69 per 100,000 residents in the 2010 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0187%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 32 people with the full name Marilyn Monroe. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Marilyn
Related
Other people with the surname Monroe
FAQ
Marilyn Monroe: questions and answers
How many people are named Marilyn Monroe?
We estimate approximately 32 people in the United States share the full name Marilyn Monroe. That works out to about 1 in 10,711,073 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0499%) with the surname frequency (18.69 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Marilyn Monroe?
We classify Marilyn Monroe as "Very Rare". About 1 in 10,711,073 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Marilyn a male or female name?
Marilyn is predominantly female. Out of 374,490 total SSA registrations, 0.3% were male and 99.7% were female. See the full Marilyn profile for detailed gender data.
Where does this data come from?
First-name data comes from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files (1880 to 2024). Surname data comes from the 2010 US Census Bureau decennial surname tables. Living-bearer estimates use CDC actuarial life tables to adjust for mortality. Read the full methodology.