Marley
Marley was the 322nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 950 babies. Its best year was 2008, when it ranked 145th with 2,359 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 104 places. More babies were named Marley in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning boundary clearing, pleasant clearing or marten wood · Old English
Say it MAR-lee /ˈmɑrli/
- Rank in 2025
- #322 girls, down 111 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 950girls
- Girls and boys
- 87% girls, 13% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20082,359 babies
- Total since 1880
- 38,404babies recorded
What does the name Marley mean?
Marley is an English place-based surname from several places of that name. Wiktionary derives it from Old English lēah, "woodland clearing", with a first element that may be mǣre, "boundary", myrig, "pleasant", or mearþ, "marten". Bardsley also treats it as a place-based name. In Ireland it can anglicize a Gaelic surname. Its modern use as a first name owes much to the musician Bob Marley.
lēah (Old English, “woodland clearing”)mǣre (Old English, “boundary”)myrig (Old English, “pleasant”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. Different places named Marley have different first elements.
Related names: Marlee, Marly, Morley.
See also: English names, names that mean meadow, hill or valley, names from places.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Marley', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (1901), s.v. 'Marley', Henry Frowde (public domain; Internet Archive scan)
Marley popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #322 | #1,397 | 950 | 131 |
| 2020 | #211 | #943 | 1,369 | 234 |
| 2010 | #234 | #917 | 1,345 | 221 |
| 2000 | #695 | #1,827 | 337 | 59 |
| 1990 | #1,750 | #4,320 | 84 | 13 |
| 1980 | #5,428 | #6,891 | 13 | 5 |
| 1970 | #6,143 | — | 8 | — |
| 1960 | — | — | — | — |
| 1950 | #5,082 | #3,220 | 6 | 7 |
| 1940 | — | — | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — | — | — |
| 1920 | — | #3,388 | — | 8 |
| 1910 | — | — | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Marley, counting every spelling?
Marley is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #196 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #322 for Marley on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,779 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marley | 950 | #322 | 5,684 |
| Marlee | 564 | #536 | 3,157 |
| Marlie | 153 | #1,422 | 730 |
| Marli | 79 | #2,317 | 500 |
| Marly | 25 | #5,179 | 155 |
| Marleah | 8 | #11,553 | 44 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Marley?
950 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Marley (0.26 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Marley 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 9 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Marley.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Marley?
About 32,700 people born in the US named Marley are alive today, with a median age of 13; half are between 7 and 18. That makes Marley mostly worn by children and young adults.
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.
Marley by state
How common Marley was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in South Dakota (2.9×), West Virginia (2.4×), Mississippi (2.0×), Louisiana (2.0×), Kentucky (2.0×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Maine, North Dakota, Rhode Island.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Marley: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Marley, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Marley · Sibling names for Marley
Questions about the name Marley
What does Marley mean?
Marley is usually explained as “boundary clearing, pleasant clearing or marten wood”, but this is uncertain. Certainty: uncertain.
How popular is the name Marley?
Marley was the 322nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 950 babies. Its best year was 2008, when it ranked 145th with 2,359 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 104 places. More babies were named Marley in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Marley a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 87% girls, 13% boys given the name Marley in the US.
Where is Marley most popular?
In 2021–2025, Marley was most common in South Dakota (2.03 per 1,000 girls), followed by West Virginia and Delaware.