Marli
Marli was the 2317th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 79 babies. Its best year was 2008, when it ranked 1394th with 171 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 358 places. More babies were named Marli in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Marley) boundary clearing, pleasant clearing or marten wood · Old English
- Rank in 2025
- #2,317 girls, down 259 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 79girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2008171 babies
- Total since 1880
- 2,846babies recorded
What does the name Marli mean?
Marli is a spelling of Marley, pronounced the same way, so it shares Marley's meaning and origin.
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)
Marli popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 5 since 2024.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #2,317 | 79 |
| 2020 | #2,058 | 90 |
| 2010 | #2,147 | 92 |
| 2000 | #3,003 | 47 |
| 1990 | #5,445 | 17 |
| 1980 | #7,844 | 8 |
| 1970 | #5,658 | 9 |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Marli, counting every spelling?
Marli is a spelling of Marley, a name family that ranked #196 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #2,317 for Marli 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 Marli?
79 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Marli (0.02 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Marli 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 106 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Marli.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Marli?
About 2,800 people born in the US named Marli are alive today, with a median age of 15; half are between 8 and 22. That makes Marli 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.
Marli by state
How common Marli was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Louisiana (3.7×), Georgia (1.9×), Pennsylvania (1.6×). In 35 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 Marli: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Marli, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Marli
What does Marli mean?
Marli is a spelling of Marley, usually explained as “boundary clearing, pleasant clearing or marten wood”, but this is uncertain. Certainty: uncertain.
How popular is the name Marli?
Marli was the 2317th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 79 babies. Its best year was 2008, when it ranked 1394th with 171 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 358 places. More babies were named Marli in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Marli a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Marli in the US.
Where is Marli most popular?
In 2021–2025, Marli was most common in Louisiana (0.23 per 1,000 girls), followed by Alabama and Georgia.