Marleigh
Marleigh was the 976th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 261 babies. Its best year was 2021, when it ranked 690th with 419 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 74 places. More babies were named Marleigh in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning variant of Marley · English, Old English
Say it MAR-lee /ˈmɑɹli/
- Rank in 2025
- #976 girls, down 252 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 261girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2021419 babies
- Total since 1880
- 6,111babies recorded
What does the name Marleigh mean?
Marleigh is a modern spelling of Marley, using the -leigh ending popular for American girls' names. Marley is an English surname from several place names in Yorkshire and elsewhere; Wiktionary traces it to Old English elements meaning a woodland clearing (lēah), with the first part variously explained as 'boundary' (mǣre) or 'pleasant'. As a first name Marley owes much to reggae musician Bob Marley and to the dog in the book and film Marley & Me.
lēah (Old English, “woodland clearing, meadow”)
How sure is this? Probable. The first element of the place name varies by place and is not settled.
Related names: Marley, Marlee, Marli.
See also: English names, names that mean meadow, hill or valley, names from places.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Marleigh', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Marley', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (our computation), SSA (public domain)
Marleigh popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #976 | 261 |
| 2020 | #724 | 384 |
| 2010 | #1,173 | 208 |
| 2000 | #3,106 | 45 |
| 1990 | #5,200 | 18 |
| 1980 | — | — |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Marleigh, counting every spelling?
Marleigh has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #939 for girls in 2025, against #976 on the official list.
How many kids will share the name Marleigh?
261 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Marleigh (0.07 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Marleigh born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 32 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Marleigh.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Marleigh?
About 6,100 people born in the US named Marleigh are alive today, with a median age of 10; half are between 5 and 16. That makes Marleigh a young name: most people with it are children.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Marleigh by state
How common Marleigh was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Mississippi (5.2×), Alabama (4.6×), Louisiana (4.5×), South Carolina (3.8×), Arkansas (2.5×). In 18 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Marleigh: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Marleigh, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Marleigh · Sibling names for Marleigh
Questions about the name Marleigh
What does Marleigh mean?
Marleigh means “variant of Marley” (English, Old English origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Marleigh?
Marleigh was the 976th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 261 babies. Its best year was 2021, when it ranked 690th with 419 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 74 places. More babies were named Marleigh in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Marleigh a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Marleigh in the US.
Where is Marleigh most popular?
In 2021–2025, Marleigh was most common in Mississippi (1.07 per 1,000 girls), followed by Alabama and Louisiana.